Abstract
*Correspondence: dralaanoorpub@gmail.com Received 01-01-2023, Revised: 15-02-2023, Accepted: 20-02-2023 e-Published: 21-02-2023 A second-generation antipsychotic drug called clozapine is used to treat resistant schizophrenia. However, therapy with clozapine is often complicated by side effects. Clozapine-associated neutropenia (CAN) is most prevalent during the initial month of treatment. This study aimed to detect the association between clozapine treatment, neutropenia and associated infections among patients with schizophrenia admitted to the Eradah and Mental Health Complex -Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A retrospective cohort study was carried out using medical records. Neutrophil counts calculated, clozapine dose, in addition to infections, social and demographic data on fifty-one patients diagnosed with schizophrenia taking clozapine from 1(st) July 2018 to 30(th) June 2021. This paper adhered to the STROBE guidelines. Most cases who developed neutropenia are of a mild type (11%). There is no significant association between the clozapine dose and the occurrence of neutropenia in patients with schizophrenia. However, Clozapine was statistically significantly associated with an increased risk of respiratory, skin, and soft tissue infections. Moreover, age was statistically significantly associated with neutropenia occurrence. However, no statistically significant association was found between neutropenia occurrence and the other sociodemographic or clinical characteristics of the participants. Enforcing the importance of following the treatment protocol of clozapine among patients through periodic lab investigations as preventive precautions is recommended.