Introduction:

mental incapacity, tightly related to the life expectancy increase, is considered one of the most serious problems to afford in the current century. It brings about the increase of the prescription of anti-psychotic agents, like thioridazine, tending to become a health problem because of causing arrhythmias that are occasionally life-threatening. It is still unknown in what level these alterations are responsible for several sudden deaths in persons who took these drugs.

Objective:

to identify which are the clinical and electrocardiographic alterations in patients using thioridazine as drug of choice in psychiatric disorders.

Materials and methods:

a descriptive study was carried out in all patients who attended the Geriatric Service taking thioridazine in any doses during the period from March 2017 to March 2018.

Results:

female elder people aged 60-74 years predominated, with secondary school scholarship, finding a relationship with the double function of women in the current society, and the high level of scholarship among Cuban citizen. Arterial hypertension and diabetes antecedents predominated, and also palpitations related to the increase of His bundle blockade observed in electrocardiograms. There were no deaths.

Conclusions:

low doses of the drug should be used for a short time and under electrocardiographic supervision.

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