Bone Strength in Women With Type 1 Diabetes

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Middle-aged premenopausal women with type 1 diabetes have lower bone mineral density and calcaneal quantitative ultrasound than nondiabetic women, by E.S. Strotmeyer and colleagues. Diabetes Care 29:306–311, 2006.

What is the problem and what is known about it so far?

Some studies have found that older women with type 1 diabetes have a higher risk of breaking their hips. However, there is not a lot of information on why this is, and it is hard to tell whether the risk is caused by diabetes or other health problems caused by diabetes.

Why did the researchers do this particular study?

Researchers wanted to find out whether middle-aged women with type 1 diabetes who had not yet gone through menopause had more broken bones and lower bone mineral density, or bone strength, than nondiabetic women.

For more information on diabetes and menopause, see http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-research/summaries/rossi-menopause.jsp.

Who was studied?

A total of 67 women who were between 35 and 55 years old and had type 1 diabetes, as well as 237 women in the same age range who didn't have diabetes.

How was the study done?

Doctors measured bone strength in the hip, neck, spine, and whole body for each woman. They gave the women a questionnaire about their medical history and asked about whether they smoked or drank alcohol, how much they exercised, and if they were on hormone therapy. The questionnaire also had sections that asked the women if they had broken bones before or were told by a doctor that they had health problems related to diabetes, such as nerve disease, eye disease, or problems with the heart and blood vessels.

What did the researchers find?

The researchers found that women with type 1 diabetes were more likely to have had a broken bone after age 20 than women without diabetes. The women with type 1 diabetes also had weaker bones in general. There did not seem to be much of a connection between diabetes complications like heart disease and weaker bones.

What were the limitations of the study?

Men were not included because the study focused on menopause.

Even though this was the largest bone-health study in young women with type 1 diabetes, there was still a smaller number of people in this study than in many other studies.

Also, the results of the study could have been more telling if the women were studied over a long period of time.

What are the implications of the study?

Women with type 1 diabetes who have not gone through menopause and have poor bone health may have a much higher risk of developing osteoporosis, a condition in which older women's bones get weaker and more fragile over time. Type 1 diabetic women should be screened for osteoporosis and be instructed on ways to prevent broken bones.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Weak Bones & Type 1: What's The Connection?

Women and Diabetes

Diabetes and Menopause

Does low bone mineral density start in post-teenage years in women with type 1 diabetes? by E.Y. Liu and colleagues. Diabetes Care 26:2365–2369, 2003