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      Olanzapine: a new risk factor for pulmonary embolus?

      The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology
      Adult, Antipsychotic Agents, adverse effects, Benzodiazepines, Fatal Outcome, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pulmonary Embolism, chemically induced, pathology, Risk Factors, Schizophrenia, drug therapy

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          Abstract

          Pulmonary embolus (PE) is not an uncommon cause of sudden death, and forensic pathologists are not unaccustomed to being the first to diagnose a PE in a patient, since they are often fatal. Forensic pathologists are also familiar with the known risk factors for development of PEs, including advanced age, use of oral contraceptives, smoking, obesity, a sedimentary lifestyle, postsurgery or postinjury, pregnancy, certain malignancies, factor V Leiden and prothrombin mutations, and anticardiolipin antibodies. It has recently been shown in the clinical literature that antipsychotic medications are associated with an increased risk of thromboembolic events. Clozapine, a close relative of olanzapine, has been implicated as an independent risk factor for developing a PE. Four cases have been published within the last 2 years questioning whether olanzapine may also be associated with an increased risk for PE. We report 6 cases from the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office, occurring between 1998 and 2005 where olanzapine may have been a risk factor in the development of, and death from, PE.

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