CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY LESIONS OF THE GROIN IN A PATIENT WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA DURING LONG-TERM POLYPHARMACOTHERAPY: A POTENTIAL ADVERSE EFFECT OF ANTIPSYCHOTIC DRUGS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31435/ijitss.3(51).2026.5843Keywords:
Schizophrenia, Antipsychotic Drugs, Skin Lesions, Polypharmacotherapy, Drug-Induced HyperhidrosisAbstract
Objective: This paper presents a case report of a patient with recurrent skin lesions of probable drug-induced etiology. The study highlights the importance of considering adverse drug reactions.
Methods: A detailed clinical interview, medical documentation, and the patient’s pharmacological treatment were analyzed, with particular emphasis on the potential adverse effects of the medications used. The analysis included an assessment of the temporal relationship between the administered drugs and the occurrence of skin lesions, as well as the exclusion of other possible causes, including infectious etiologies. Particular attention was paid to the possibility of a drug-induced nature of the observed lesions.
Key Findings: A patient with long-standing schizophrenia receiving extensive polypharmacotherapy developed chronic inflammatory lesions in the groin area. Comprehensive diagnostic evaluation excluded infectious causes, indicating a probable drug-induced etiology of the lesions. This case highlights the importance of considering adverse drug reactions and polypharmacotherapy in the diagnostic process of chronic skin lesions.
Conclusions: By presenting this case, we aim to emphasize that chronic skin lesions in patients undergoing long-term polypharmacotherapy may most likely be drug-induced, particularly after infectious causes have been excluded. In clinical practice, careful attention should be paid to the medications the patient is taking, as well as to potential drug interactions and adverse effects. With appropriate medical supervision, however, the condition may remain stable and well controlled.
References
Hatziagelaki, E., Tsiavou, A., Gerasimou, C., Vavougios, G. D., Spathis, A., Laskos, E., Papageorgiou, C., Douzenis, A., Christodoulou, N., Stefanis, N., Spandidos, D. A., Nikolakakis, N., Tsamakis, K., & Rizos, E. (2019). Effects of olanzapine on cytokine profile and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in drug-naive subjects with first-episode psychosis. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 17(4), 3071–3076. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2019.7285
Lin, J. (2018). Antipsychotics and rashes. Mental Illness, 10(2), Article 7808. https://doi.org/10.4081/mi.2018.7808
Telles-Correia, D., Barbosa, A., Cortez-Pinto, H., Campos, C., Rocha, N. B. F., & Machado, S. (2017). Psychotropic drugs and liver disease: A critical review of pharmacokinetics and liver toxicity. World Journal of Gastrointestinal Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 8(1), 26–38. https://doi.org/10.4292/wjgpt.v8.i1.26
World Medical Association. (2024). WMA Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical principles for medical research involving human participants.
Beyer, C., Cappetta, K., Johnson, J. A., & Bloch, M. H. (2017). Meta-analysis: Risk of hyperhidrosis with second-generation antidepressants. Depression and Anxiety, 34(12), 1134–1146. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22680
Štuhec, M. (2015). Excessive sweating induced by interaction between agomelatine and duloxetine hydrochloride: Case report and review of the literature. Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-014-0688-0
Kisielnicka, A., Szczerkowska-Dobosz, A., Purzycka-Bohdan, D., & Nowicki, R. J. (2022). Hyperhidrosis: Disease aetiology, classification and management in the light of modern treatment modalities. Postępy Dermatologii i Alergologii, 39(2), 251–257. https://doi.org/10.5114/ada.2022.115887
Brackenrich, J., & Medeus, C. F. (2022). Hyperhidrosis. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
Correll, C. U., et al. (2024). Antipsychotic polypharmacy: A comprehensive evaluation of relevant correlates of a long-standing clinical practice. The Lancet Psychiatry, 11(7), 545–557. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(24)00314-6.
Hwang, S. M., et al. (2023). Cutaneous adverse drug reactions associated with psychotropic medications. Dermatopathology, 3(1), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/dermatopathology3010002.
Guglielmo, R., et al. (2022). Immune system dysregulation in schizophrenia and the potential role of antipsychotic treatment. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(19), Article 11932. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911932.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Kaja Nieradka, Krystyna Klahs, Maciej Muraszko-Kuźma, Patryk Twardy, Weronika Wagner, Jakub Białożyt, Anna Dębniak, Maciej Gutarowicz, Patryk Modelewski, Michał Armatys

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles are published in open-access and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Hence, authors retain copyright to the content of the articles.
CC BY 4.0 License allows content to be copied, adapted, displayed, distributed, re-published or otherwise re-used for any purpose including for adaptation and commercial use provided the content is attributed.

