Epidemiology

The prevalence of TD varies in studies, depending on the type of drugs the study populations were exposed to. For example, in a meta-analysis of 41 studies, 30% of patients with a history of exposure to typical (first-generation) antipsychotics had TD, whereas in studies that recruited patients with exposure only to atypical (second-generation) antipsychotics, the prevalence was only 21%.[8] The mean prevalence of TD was 25.3% for all treatment groups.[8] In another meta-analysis of 12 studies, the annual incidence rate of TD in patients taking typical or atypical antipsychotics was 5.4% and 0.8%, respectively.[9]

TD prevalence varies by geographic region, ranging from 17.3% in Asia to 31.8% in Australia, Africa, and the Middle East. The global prevalence ranges from 15% to 50% across studies. The prevalence in Japan is low, at approximately 6.5% to 7.7%.[10]

Postmenopausal women may be at increased risk of developing TD.[2]

The most robust risk factors for the emergence of TD are cumulative exposure to dopamine receptor-blocking agents (especially typical antipsychotics) and older age (>50 years). Other risk factors include postmenopause, African-American ethnicity, use of antiparkinsonian agents, diabetes mellitus, brain/central nervous system injury, dementia, smoking, and alcohol and substance misuse.[3][4][5][6][11] The exact reason for the increased risk associated with the factors mentioned above remains elusive.[3][5]

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