Based on other studies, it seems that younger people are affected more than the elderly. All the patients in the Australian survey recovered when the medication was stopped. With early detection, this condition is almost always caught in time, hence the motive for the weekly blood tests. Clozaril can bind to many receptors in the body. It is believed to exert its dangerous side effect through attachment to either 5HT7 or muscarinic M 1 receptors, which are present in white blood cells.
Schizophrenia is a severe psychosis, with varied symptoms.
Positive symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, are what is often noticed about the sufferer. Negative symptoms, including apathy, social withdrawal and avolition, tend to go more unnoticed, but remain extremely disabling. Disorganized symptoms also help lead to problems in the cognitive, social and affective areas. The prognosis is usually poor, with suicide occurring in a significant number of cases. Medicines have been available to treat schizophrenia for nearly half a century now.