Long-term bone loss in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
The bone mineral content (BMC) in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes is reduced by 10% early in the disease, but due to a lack of long-term longitudinal studies it is unknown whether this diabetic osteopenia develops further through life. Over a time period of 11 years we examined the BMC in a group of seven adult insulin-dependent diabetics, in whom physiological and pathological factors affecting bone metabolism had been excluded; the patients were well regulated without diabetic complications. The BMC was not significantly decreased at the initial examination. The longitudinal study revealed a small but statistically significant fall in BMC, mainly in trabecular bone. The narrow (95%) confidence interval of median end value (93.3-99.0% of initial BMC) indicates that the annual decrease in BMC in such patients is of the order of 0.5%, a reduction that is probably clinically insignificant.
Mathiassen
B
B
Department of Internal Medicine, Aalborg Hospital, Denmark.
Nielsen
S
S
Ditzel
J
J
Rødbro
P
P
D000328:Adult; D015519:Bone Density; D001851:Bone Diseases, Metabolic / Q000209:etiology*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male