Leucopenia during paliperidone treatment in a patient with schizoaffective disorder – a case study

The case study presents a 51-year-old woman diagnosed with a schizoaffective disorder who was initially treated with risperidone. After 7 days of hospitalisation, the patient was discharged at her own request. On the same day, after a few hours, she returned to the emergency room, reporting severe anxiety and auditory hallucinations. Risperidone was replaced by paliperidone. During the treatment, a decrease in leucocyte count after paliperidone administration was observed. During further hospital stay, the treatment was switched to olanzapine in depot form. Correct symptomatic response to the drug used was observed. The leucocyte counts were gradually compensated, which confirms the drug-related cause of previously observed complete blood count abnormalities. The case indicates the possibility of side effects in the treatment with certain drugs, and underlines the impact of the dosage form of the drug being taken on the patient’s quality of life.