Long-term second-generation antipsychotics decreases bone formation and resorption in male patients with schizophrenia.

Rationale: Patients with schizophrenia with second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) treatment have shown an increased risk of bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture; however, it is still unclear whether this risk is derived from the effect of antipsychotics on balance of bone metabolism.

Objectives: We investigated the changes of two bone turnover biomarkers (BTMs) concentrations in people with schizophrenia receiving SGAs: procollagen type I aminoterminal propeptide (PINP) and C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-1) as BTMs of osteogenesis and bone resorption, respectively, to explore how antipsychotics contribute to bone fragility.

Methods: We recruited 59 Chinese male patients with schizophrenia (32 drug-naïve first-episode (DNFE) patients and 27 chronic patients) to undergo 8 weeks SGAs treatment.