Which of the following are risk factors for agranulocytosis in patients taking clozapine?

• A. Older age, female gender, Ashkenazi Jews
• B. Young age, male gender, Asian heritage
• C. Older age, male gender, African descent
• D. Older age, female gender, Hispanic heritage

Answer: (A)

The key concept is that clozapine-induced agranulocytosis risk is influenced by patient characteristics, with higher risk seen in older individuals and in women, and certain ethnic backgrounds that can affect baseline neutrophil counts or susceptibility. This combination—older age, female gender, and Ashkenazi Jewish heritage—best fits the observed patterns in clinical data and monitoring guidelines, which is why it’s considered the strongest risk profile among the options. The other groupings pair factors (like younger age or male gender) that don’t show as consistent an association with increased agranulocytosis risk, so they’re less aligned with the established risk factors.