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Skeletal status in children and adolescents with new-onset type 1 diabetes: a preliminary study based on bone
Francesca Silvestri1, Marco Infante2,3,4, Andrea Fabbri2
1Department of Paediatrics, Section of Paediatric Diabetology, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Introduction:
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) represents a risk factor for bone loss and impaired bone quality.
Material And Methods:
We conducted an exploratory retrospective cross-sectional study involving youths with new-onset T1D, to investigate the relationship between lumbar spine dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and phalangeal quantitative ultrasound (QUS) measurements, along with their correlation with markers of bone turnover, glucose homeostasis, and residual β-cell function.
Results:
17 children and adolescents (8 females) with recent-onset T1D were enrolled into this study. Lumbar spine areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and age-adjusted amplitude-dependent speed of sound (AD-SoS) Z-scores were indicative of low BMD status (≤ -2.0 SD) in 11.7% and 17.6% of participants, respectively. Spearman's correlation analysis revealed significant inverse correlations between AD-SoS values and circulating levels of β-CrossLaps, alkaline phosphatase, and osteocalcin, along with a significant positive correlation between bone transmission time (BTT) values and fasting plasma C-peptide (FCP) levels. There was no statistically significant correlation between DXA-QUS parameters, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). Finally, there was a significant positive correlation between lumbar spine aBMD and BTT values.
Conclusions:
Our study suggests that DXA and/or QUS parameters may be altered in a small proportion of T1D children and adolescents at the disease onset. Additionally, residual β-cell function may represent a protective factor against T1D-related detrimental skeletal changes. Large and long-term prospective studies are needed to confirm these preliminary findings since the present study is limited by the retrospective cross-sectional design and by its small sample size.
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