Diabetes, Vol 37, Issue 1 8-12, Copyright © 1988 by American Diabetes Association
Mineral metabolism and bone mass at peripheral and axial skeleton in diabetes mellitus
J Auwerx, J Dequeker, R Bouillon, P Geusens and J Nijs
Laboratorium voor Experimentele Geneeskunde en Endocrinologie, University of Leuven, Belgium.
Bone mineral content (BMC), mineral homeostasis, and diabetes control were
evaluated in 31 Caucasian insulin-dependent diabetic patients (disease
duration 18.3 +/- 7.7 yr, mean +/- SD) with normal kidney function. To
evaluate bone mass, we performed radiogrammetry and single- and dual-photon
absorptiometry. In women, a significantly lower mean BMC was found in the
distal radius, at a mixed trabecular-cortical (P less than .01) and a
cortical (P less than .05) site, as well as in the lumbar spine (P less
than .02). In diabetic men, mean BMC was significantly reduced at the
trabecularcortical (P less than .01) and cortical (P less than .05) sites
of the radius but not in the lumbar spine. When expressed as densities
(i.e., BMC/width or lumbar BMC/area), only the BMC/width at the radius
cortical area was significantly reduced in women (P less than .05). The
results of the radiogrammetry showed a larger endosteal diameter in the
diabetic women, resulting in a significantly lower cortical thickness (P
less than .05). Diabetic men did not show abnormalities on radiogrammetry.
Diabetic patients had diminished serum calcium and phosphorus
concentrations (P less than .001), whereas serum parathyroid,
25-hydroxyvitamin D3, and concentrations of both total and free
1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 were normal. No correlation between parameters of
diabetes control (HbA1, insulin dose, and triglycerides) or
calcium-regulating hormones and BMC were found. These data confirm that,
despite large overlap of individual values, mean bone mass at the
peripheral skeleton is significantly decreased in diabetic patients.
Moreover, we report that the BMC of the lumbar spine is significantly
reduced in female diabetic patients.