A review of clinical trials of lithium in medicine.

Since the approval of lithium use in treatment of acute mania, there have been numerous clinical trials of lithium in medical and psychiatric disorders. This paper gives a brief review of the literature on lithium trials in approximately fourteen medical conditions. These are: hyperthyroidism, metabolizing thyroid cancer, syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone, premenstrual tension syndrome, anorexia nervosa, Felty's syndrome, chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, aplastic anemia, seborrheic dermatitis, eczematoid dermatitis, cyclic vomiting, diabetes mellitus and asthma. Most of the case reports cited showed the efficacy of the side effects from lithium salt in the management of the symptoms and signs of these disorders, however, well-designed and controlled studies give negative results. The positive results are reported in the group of disorders having an underlying subdromal affective syndrome such as premenstrual tension syndrome and anorexia nervosa. Other encouraging reports include the effect of lithium to induce leucocytosis in Felty's syndrome and chemotherapy-induced neutropenia.