[Bone mineral density in patients with type 2 diabetes]

To establish whether type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with changes in the bone mineral density (BMD) of femoral neck, total hip and lumbar spine.

Comparative cross-sectional study that included 450 patients aged 30 years or more; 245 with, and 205 without T2D. Groups were matched by age. Degenerative joint disease, rheumatoid arthritis, neoplasia, renal failure, chronic liver disease, alcohol intake, prior treatment with drugs that modulate the BMD, Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 and other endocrinopathies were exclusion criteria.

In the overall group, the presence of menopause was associated with osteoporosis in the hip (odds ratio -OR-4.2; CI95% 1.4-6.1), whereas T2D was a protective factor (OR 0.8; CI95% 0.4-0.9). Among premenopausal women, central obesity and total adiposity were associated with osteoporosis in the hip (OR 1.9; CI95% 1.1-3.9 and OR 2.1; CI95% 1.2-8.7) and femoral areas (OR 2.1; CI95% 1.2-4.1 and OR 2.3; CI95% 1.3-7.1); T2D remained as protective factor (OR 0.7; CI95% 0.5-0.9 and OR 0.6; CI95% 0.4-0.9). The adjusted analysis by BMI, waist circumference, and total adiposity showed that T2D remained as a protective factor for osteoporosis in the hip (OR 0.8; CI95% 0.6-0.9) and femoral areas (OR 0.7; CI95% 0.5-0.9).

Our results suggest that T2D is an independent protective factor for osteoporosis.