Examining Factors Associated with Dynapenia/Sarcopenia in Patients with Schizophrenia: A Pilot Case-Control Study

• Published in: Healthcare (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 5; p. 684
• Main Authors: Tanioka, Ryuichi, Osaka, Kyoko, Ito, Hirokazu, Zhao, Yueren, Tomotake, Masahito, Takase, Kensaku, Tanioka, Tetsuya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 25.02.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Activities of daily living; Age; Analysis; Antipsychotics; Body composition; Disease; Exercise; Frailty; Health aspects; Hospitals; Lifestyles; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Metabolic syndrome; Muscle strength; Muscle weakness; Musculoskeletal system; Nutritional status; Obesity; Patients; Physical fitness; Pneumonia; Psychiatric patients; Psychotropic drugs; Quality of life; Sarcopenia; Schizophrenia; Sedentary behavior; Womens health; Working groups; Japan; body mass index; basal metabolic rate; schizophrenia; total muscle mass; skeletal muscle mass; dynapenia; sarcopenia
• ISSN: 2227-9032; 2227-9032
• DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11050684

Sedentary behavior in patients with schizophrenia causes muscle weakness, is associated with a higher risk of metabolic syndrome, and contributes to mortality risk. This pilot case-control study aims to examine the associated factors for dynapenia/sarcopenia in patients with schizophrenia. The participants were 30 healthy individuals (healthy group) and 30 patients with schizophrenia (patient group), who were matched for age and sex. Descriptive statistics, Welch’s t-test, cross-tabulations, adjusted residuals, Fisher’s exact probability test (extended), and/or odds ratios (ORs) were calculated. In this study, dynapenia was significantly more prevalent in patients with schizophrenia than in healthy individuals. Regarding body water, Pearson’s chi-square value was 4.41 (p = 0.04), and significantly more patients with dynapenia were below the normal range. In particular, body water and dynapenia showed a significant association, with an OR = 3.42 and 95% confidence interval [1.06, 11.09]. Notably, compared with participants of the healthy group, patients with schizophrenia were overweight, had less body water, and were at a higher risk for dynapenia. The impedance method and the digital grip dynamometer used in this study were simple and useful tools for evaluating muscle quality. To improve health conditions for patients with schizophrenia, additional attention should be paid to muscle weakness, nutritional status, and physical rehabilitation.