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Lithium is usually considered the most effective treatment for bipolar disorder. At least 30% of lithium-treated patients are nonresponsive to lithium; in addition, only 30% have enduring full response, close laboratory monitoring is required, and adverse effects are not uncommon. Therefore, identifying predictors of lithium response is highly desirable.
In this largest-ever cohort study of lithium recipients with bipolar disorder, investigators used machine learning to examine medical records of 1266 patients with bipolar disorder type I or II treated with lithium for at least 1 year at 7 international specialty clinics. The investigators then used interview-obtained clinical data alone to predict lithium response.
Of these patients, 35% wer…