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Bone Density in Patients with Schizophrenia

Ming-Yih Lee, Hsien-Jane Chiu, Nan-Ping Yang, Hsiao-Ju Sun, Tsuo-Hung Lan

Objective: To elucidate whether schizophrenic inpatients in a mental hospital have a decreased bone density, and to analyze the descriptive data on possible risk factors associated with decreased bone density. Methods: In this cross- sectional study, we recruited 121 male and 126 female schizophrenic or schizoaffective patients from chronic wards. Bone mineral density was measured by QUS-2 over calcancal bone. Descriptive data including age, sex, height, body weight, past medical or surgical history, daily activity level, smoking, and antipsychotics exposure in past two years were collected and analyzed. Results: Although the bone density (BD) of male patients was somewhat higher (measured as BUA
= 85.3± 20.8 dB/MHz), it was not significantly different (t=1.47, df=215, p=O.253) from the BD of female patients (82.5±16.7 dB!MHz). Multiple linear regression revealed that only age and Body Mass Index (BMI) had a significant contribution to the variance of BD. All other possible risk factors surveyed, including smoking, pharmacological treatment, amenorrhea, activity levels, showed no significant influence on BD statistically. onclusion: Bone density was negatively correlated with age, and positively correlated with BMI. The gender difference in BD observed in normal population was not found in this sample of chronic schizophrenic patients. (Full text in Chinese)
Key Word schizophrenia, osteoporosis, QUS, BMI
Editorial Committe, Taiwanese Journal of Psychiatry
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