Diabetes may increase fracture risk in elderly

Seniors with Type-2 diabetes are more likely to succumb to fractures than their peers without the condition, suggests new research.

"Fracture in older adults with Type-2 diabetes is a highly important public health problem and will only increase with the ageing of the population and growing epidemic of diabetes," said lead author of the study Elizabeth Samelson of the Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew Seniorlife in Boston, US.

The study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research found older adults with Type-2 diabetes had deficits in cortical bone - the dense outer surface of bone that forms a protective layer around the internal cavity - compared to non-diabetics. 

The findings suggest that the microarchitecture of cortical bone may be altered in seniors with diabetes and thereby place them at increased risk of fracture.

Participants in this study included over 1,000 members who were examined over a period of three years. 

High resolution scanning allowed researchers to determine that many older adults with diabetes had weakness specific to cortical bone microarchitecture that cannot be measured by standard bone density testing.

"Our findings identify skeletal deficits that may contribute to excess fracture risk in older adults with diabetes and may ultimately lead to new approaches to improve prevention and treatment," Samelson said.