Question - The article cited below reports: “Drug induced dystonia is a movement disorder usually observed within a few hours of a single dose, especially after parenteral administration, but may appear after a delay of several hours to a few days.” What are the patient risk factors that may predispose to the development of dystonia?
Answer- The cited article notes, “Patient risk factors for dystonia include younger age, male gender, black race, previous dystonic reactions, family history of dystonia, cocaine use, mood disorders, hypocalcemia, hypoparathyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and dehydration.” These authors also note “Children and young adults are highly vulnerable and more likely to develop generalized dystonia, similar to the pattern in primary dystonias, whereas drug-induced dystonia is less common after 45 years of age.” (Caroff SN and Campbell EC. Drug-induced extrapyramidal syndromes: Implication for contemporary practice. 2016 Psychiatr Clin N Am 39:391-411)