Prevalence of osteoporosis among postmenopausal females with diabetes mellitus

To assess the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis among Saudi postmenopausal women with non-insulin dependent type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The study was carried out at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from February 2000 to September 2002. bone mineral density (BMD) of lumbar spine and femoral neck using dual x-ray absorptionmetry (DXA; Lunar Wisconsin), were performed in 104 postmenopausal Saudi women with T2DM and 101postmenopausal non-diabetic women (control). Bone mineral density was measured in gm/cm and both T-score and Z-score were measured but only T-score ws used for analysis based on World Health Organization criteria. Bone profile, 25(OH) Vitamin D, 1.25(OH) Vitamin D, parathyroid harmone and urine deoxypyridinoline (DPD) were measured in both patients and controls. Body fit fat measurement aruond the biceps muscles using Futrex (body compostion analyzer) were performed in patients and controls. Years postmenopausal, duration of diabetes mellitus, parity, exercise, sun exposure and milk consumption were also recorded. In the diabetic group, the mean spine BMD was 0.928 gm/cm (T-score=2.28 SD) and for femoral neck the mean BMD was 0.817 gm/cm (T-score=-1.21SD). In control group, the mean spine BMD was 1.036 gm/cm (T-score=-1.2) and mean femoral neck BMD was 0.914 gm/cm (T-score=-0.608). In the diabetic group, there was 16(16.64%)patients with normal BMD of the spine, 42 patients (43.68%) with ostopenia (mean T-score=-1.8SD) and 45 (46.8%) with osteoporosis (mean T-score=-3.3 SD). Osteoporosis is most common among Type2 postmenopausal females in this ethnic group. Since both groups are postmenopausal, having equal percentage of Vitamin D deficiency, multi-parity, non exposure sun, lack of excercise and negligible milk intake, one can conlude that low BMD can be attributed to DM in the absence of other cause of osteoporosis. (author)