Demographic, Clinical, and Healthcare Characteristics of Patients with Schizophrenia Treated with Clozapine in the Almenara Healthcare Network of EsSalud, 2019–2024
Keywords:
Clozapine, psychosis, treatment discontinuity, prevalence, treatment-resistant schizophreniaAbstract
Objective: To describe the sociodemographic, clinical, and healthcare-related characteristics of patients with schizophrenia treated with clozapine within the Almenara Healthcare Network of EsSalud between 2019 and 2024.
Methods: An observational, retrospective, and descriptive study based on administrative, clinical, and prescription records from 2019 to 2024. Patients with ICD-10 diagnoses F20.x and F2X who had received at least one prescription for clozapine were included. Descriptive analyses were performed, followed by comparisons using Student's t test or the Mann–Whitney U test for continuous variables, and the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test for categorical variables. Annual prevalence rates were calculated per 100,000 insured individuals with 95% confidence intervals.
Results: A total of 2,074 patients with psychotic disorders were included, of whom 199 received clozapine. Patients treated with clozapine were younger, more frequently male, and predominantly managed at tertiary-level hospitals (all p < 0.05). Schizophrenia was significantly more common among patients receiving clozapine (p < 0.001), whereas psychiatric comorbidities were less frequent (p < 0.001). The annual prevalence of clozapine use remained below 3 per 100,000 insured individuals throughout the study period, with no sustained increase over time.
Conclusions: Clozapine use within the Almenara Healthcare Network remains limited and is concentrated in high-complexity hospitals, primarily among young men diagnosed with schizophrenia. These findings highlight the need for longitudinal real-world studies to better understand the factors influencing timely access to and continuity of clozapine treatment and to support strategies aimed at improving equitable implementation of this evidence-based therapy.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Jeff David Huarcaya Victoria, Alexis Germán Murillo Carrasco, Mitshell Bikrham Ramos Quispe, Javier Flores Cohaila, Bryan Christopher Bastidas Reyes (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
