Abstract
Bone mineral density (BMD) has been found to decrease in schizophrenia patients. We examined BMD and the levels of prolactin (PRL), bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and tartrate resistant acid phosphatase isoform 5b (TRACP-5b) in male chronic schizophrenia patients and compared them with healthy controls in a Chinese Han population, which has not been reported before. Male patients with chronic schizophrenia (SPs; n = 79) and healthy controls (HCs; n = 56) were recruited. BMD and plasma PRL, BAP and TRACP-5b levels were measured and compared between the two groups. The SPs group was further divided into two subgroups: the elevated PRL group (PRL ≥ 25 ng/ml, EPRL; n = 38) and the normal PRL group (PRL < 25 ng/ml, NPRL; n = 41) in accordance with PRL levels. The levels of BAP and TRACP-5b were measured using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) while serum PRL was measured with an Access Immunoassay Analyzer. BMD was determined by quantitative computed tomography. BMD levels significantly decreased and serum PRL and TRACP-5b levels were significantly higher in male chronic schizophrenia patients. The EPRL group had remarkably lower BMD and BAP level and higher TRACP-5b levels compared with the NPRL group and HCs. Moreover, there was a negative correlation between BMD and TRACP-5b in the EPRL group. We found that BMD, BAP and TRACP-5b levels in the EPRL group were significantly different than HCs and the NPRL group. PRL levels in schizophrenia patients may be related to BMD and bone metabolism. Monitoring BMD and markers of bone metabolism in clinical practice may therefore be helpful to understand the bone health status of schizophrenia patients.
Highlights
Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease characterized by reduction of bone mass and deterioration of skeletal tissues as well as abnormal bone metabolism[1]
There was no difference in Bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) levels (IQR 22.8–34 vs. IQR 24.43–35.25 U/L; Z = −1.076, P = 0.282), the levels of TRACP-5b (IQR 3.8–5.8 vs. IQR 2.83–4.98 U/L; t = 3.122, P = 0.002), PRL (IQR19.56–33.06 vs. IQR 7.07–16.71 ng/ml; Z = -7.925, P = 0.000) and Bone mineral density (BMD) (IQR 88.7–130.4 vs. IQR 113.1–146.03 mg/cm[3]; Z = −3.209, P = 0.001) in the SPs group were remarkably different from those in healthy controls (HCs) (P < 0.05)
We found that PRL levels in the SPs group were significantly higher than those in HCs (Table 1, Fig. 1B), which is in agreement with previous reports[15,30,31]
Summary
Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease characterized by reduction of bone mass and deterioration of skeletal tissues as well as abnormal bone metabolism[1]. Bone turnover markers can provide information about the status of bone formation and resorption In clinical studies, these markers can reflect unremitting bone growth, predict fracture risk, and even monitor the treatment effect of osteoporosis[19,20]. Other techniques for measuring BMD include single-energy X-ray absorption, peripheral dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, two-photon absorption, quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and quantitative sonication[2,22]. Among these methods, QCT can accurately measure the bone volume per cubic centimeter, which can more accurately indicate the bone mass, a drawback of this technique is cost
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
