The neuroleptic malignant syndrome in an adolescent

Abstract

A case of the neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) in a 14-year-old schizophrenic boy receiving 60 mg (1 mg/kg) trifluoperazine daily, is described. NMS is a rare complication of antipsychotic drug therapy characterized by hyperpyrexia, akinesia, rigidity and autonomic instability, leukocytosis and elevated blood enzymes, such as creatinine phosphokinase, with a 20% mortality rate. Though there have been few previous reports in children and younger adolescents, this and other cases demonstrate the possibility of its occurrence and the need for awareness of the syndrome.