Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: T2DM is associated with an increased risk of fractures. This heightened risk is attributed to factors such as prolonged disease duration and chronic glycemic control. Interestingly, despite this increased fracture risk, patients with T2DM often exhibit normal or even elevated BMD compared to non-diabetic individuals. This phenomenon is thought to be a result of reduced bone remodeling, coupled with changes in bone microarchitecture.

Objective: This study aims to assess BMD in postmenopausal women with T2DM who are under observation at our center.

Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive study on an incidental sample of 84 postmenopausal T2DM patients. These patients, monitored for carbohydrate metabolism disturbances at specialized care centers linked to our hospital, had undergone DXA in 2022 or 2023. The inclusion criteria were the absence of clinical evidence of other pathologies that could cause secondary BMD alterations and an age limit of 65 years or younger.

Results: The average age of participants was 63.29 years [95% CI 62.98-63.59]. The mean T-Score for the spine was -0.85 SD [95% CI -1.12— -0.58], and for the femur, it was -0.98 SD [95% CI -1.23— -0.73].

Conclusion: The mean T-Score for both the spine and femur falls within the normal to osteopenia range, not extending into osteoporosis, despite examining a high-risk group (menopausal patients). For future research, it would be beneficial to compare these findings with similar demographic groups without DM2. Such a comparison could clarify the specific impact of carbohydrate metabolism disorders on BMD in our population.