Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome in a Diabetic Patient with Eye Complication and Acute Psychosis

Abstract

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome is a life-threatenting complication of antipsychotic treatment. The prevalence is estimated to be 0.02 to 2.4 percent of patients exposed to dopamine receptor antagonists. Mortality rates are reported to be 10-20 percent. The important clinical signs and symptoms are severe muscle rigidity and fever. Other features are changes in level of consciousness ranging from confusion to coma, autonomic instability and laboratory evidence of muscle injury (eg, elevated CPK). We report a diabetic patient with eye complications and acute psychosis, developing neuroleptic malignant syndrome four days after receiving haloperidol 15 mg/day. The patient recovered well within 5 days after discontinuation of haloperidol and symptomatic treatment and had undergone an eye operation which yielded good result.