Photo Credit: Kunlathida Petchuen

Women with T2D have higher bone mineral density (BMD) and better bone microarchitecture but poorer physical function than women without diabetes, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. The authors conducted a prospective observational study of 3,008 older women, comparing 294 patients with T2D with 2,714 who did not have diabetes. Women with T2D had higher BMD at all sites, as well as 7.4% greater cortical area, 1.3% greater density at the tibia, and 8.7% higher trabecular bone volume fraction. There was no difference in the bone material strength index between women with T2D and those without. Women with T2D had lower performance on all physical function tests. There were 1,071 incident fractures, 853 major osteoporotic fractures, and 232 hip fractures during a median follow-up of 7.3 years. T2D was associated with an increased risk for any fracture (HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.54) and major osteoporotic fractures (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1 to 1.56).