Prevalence of Bone Mineral Density Loss in Korean Patients With Schizophrenia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: This study investigates bone mineral density (BMD) and the association between BMD and hormonal changes in Korean patients with schizophrenia.

Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2005 to June 2005; 195 inpatients with schizophrenia (DSM-IV) were screened. Among them, 51 patients aged 18 to 45 years who had taken haloperidol monotherapy for at least 2 years participated in this study. The control group consisted of normal healthy volunteers who were of similar ages (N = 57). Bone mineral density was determined by a GE Lunar 4500 scanner. Hormone levels were measured by using commercial kits. The Student t test, the Pearson χ² test, the Wilcoxon rank sum test, and logistic regression analysis were used for data analysis.

Results: Female patients, but not male patients, showed significantly lower BMD than the normal controls as seen in all bone regions studied. Among 18 female patients with BMD loss, 17 patients showed hyperprolactinemia, and 7 showed combined hypoestrogenemia. Prolactin levels were significantly higher in the female patients with BMD loss compared to those with normal bone density; however, other hormone levels were not different between the 2 groups. There was no significant difference in hormonal levels between bone loss and normal bone density groups.

Conclusions: Bone mineral density loss in patients with schizophrenia tended to differ by gender. Decreased BMD compared to normal controls was seen in female patients; however, this was not observed in men. ‘ ‹