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Cortical Bone Assessment Using Ultrasonic Guided Waves: A Reproducibility Study in a Healthy Population
Published on: January 31, 2025
Ultrasound bone mass in schizophrenic patients on antipsychotic therapy
Purificación Rey-Sánchez1, Jesús M Lavado-García, María L Canal-Macías
1Department of Nursing, University of Extremadura, Spain.
Objective:
To determine bone mass using quantitative phalangeal bone ultrasound in institutionalized schizophrenic patients under chronic treatment with antipsychotic drugs.
Methods:
A total of 73 patients with schizophrenia (25 women, mean age 59.84 +/- 17.01 years; 48 men, mean age 61.89 +/- 12.95 years) and 73 healthy subjects (25 women, mean age 60.37 +/- 17.16 years; 48 men, mean age 61.24 +/- 13.09 years) participated in the study. Bone status was assessed using an ultrasound device that measures the amplitude-dependent speed of sound (Ad-SoS) in metres per second. Measurements were made on the phalanges (II-V) of the non-dominant hand, and the mean value was computed.
Results:
The schizophrenic women had higher levels of prolactin (PRL), parathyroid hormone (PTH), alkaline phosphatase (AlPh), and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) (all p < 0.0001), and lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D(25(OH)D3) levels (p < 0.0001) and Ad-SoS values (p < 0.05) than controls. Ad-SoS was higher in schizophrenic men (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
Schizophrenic women in treatment with antipsychotic drugs had a loss of phalangeal bone mass that was associated with the levels of vitamin D or PTH, and increased bone turnover.
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