Clinical risk factors analysis and prevention of osteoporosis as a complication of diabetes

Objective Osteoporosis is a common complication of type 2 diabetes. This study aimed to provide a basis for the clinical prevention and treatment of osteoporosis as a complication of type 2 diabetes. Methods We retrospectively analyzed patients hospitalized with type 2 diabetes with or without osteoporosis. Binary logistic regression was performed to assess the relationship between the assessed indexes and the risk of type 2 diabetes with osteoporosis. Receiver operating characteristic curves were created to evaluate the efficacy of these indexes in predicting osteoporosis in patients with type 2 diabetes. Results The cohort comprised 1,811 patients with type 2 diabetes and 1,758 with type 2 diabetes combined with osteoporosis. The basic indexes (height and weight) and glucose metabolism indexes (glycated hemoglobin A (HbA1c) and fasting plasma glucose/fasting blood glucose) were positively correlated with the bone metabolism indexes. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that HbA1c was an effective predictor of osteoporosis risk, with an area under the curve of 70.1%. When the HbA1c of patients with type 2 diabetes was between 6% and 6.45% or reached 6.45% at a long-term stable state, the risk of osteoporosis was increased. The risk of osteoporosis was also increased in patients with type 2 diabetes who were older than 59.5 years. Conclusion HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose/fasting blood glucose were significantly correlated with bone metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes with and without osteoporosis. Clinical monitoring of the HbA1c may be useful in preventing osteoporosis in patients with type 2 diabetes.