Microangiopathy is associated with bone loss in female type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with microvascular diseases can be used as a model to study the relationship between bone health and the microvascular situation.

A total of 2,170 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (1,188 postmenopausal females and 982 males aged ⩾50 years) were included in our cross-sectional study. These patients were grouped according to 24-hour urine protein level: Group I (<30 mg), Group II (30-299 mg) and Group III (≥300 mg). Bone mineral density of the lumbar spine, hip and femoral neck was evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Fundus oculi photography for diabetic retinopathy and 24-h urine protein for diabetic nephropathy were used as markers of microangiopathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Characteristics of the patients and bone mineral density were compared. Multivariate analysis was used to study the association between bone mineral density and microangiopathy. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 20.0. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Group III had the lowest bone mineral density level in both genders. Multivariate analysis revealed that microangiopathy was negatively correlated with bone mineral density in females (lumbar: r = -0.522, p < 0.001; hip: r = -0.301, p = 0.010; femoral neck: r = -0.314, p = 0.009), but not in males, after adjustment for age, body mass index, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetic status, hepatic function, kidney function, sex hormones and 25(OH) vitamin D.

These results demonstrate an independent negative correlation between microangiopathy and bone mineral density in postmenopausal female type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.