Age effect of antipsychotic medications on the risk of sudden cardiac death in patients with schizophrenia: A nationwide case–crossover study

Aim Research regarding the effects of age in patients with schizophrenia taking antipsychotics on the risk of sudden cardiac death is lacking. We determined the effect of patient age on the association between exposure to antipsychotics and the risk of sudden cardiac death in a nationwide schizophrenia cohort. Methods From the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database and Department of Health Death Certification System, data of 1836 patients with schizophrenia who had experienced sudden cardiac death between 2000 and 2016 were included. A case–crossover design by using a 14‐day window was applied, and subgroup analyses were performed by stratifying patients into three age subgroups (65 years) to assess the effect of age on the risk of sudden cardiac death in patients taking antipsychotics. Results No association between exposure to antipsychotic agents and sudden cardiac death risk was found in patients aged >65 years who were characterized by a high burden of medical illnesses. However, zotepine significantly increased the risk of sudden cardiac death in patients aged