Type 1 diabetics are more likely to have bone fractures

A large study suggests that type 1 diabetics are more likely to be fractured when their blood sugar levels are so high.

The researchers examined data from over 47,000 diabetics, including 3,329 patients with type 1 diabetes, the least common type of diabetes, and typically occur during childhood or early adolescence when the pancreas does not secrete insulin. The other study participants were people with type 2 diabetes related to obesity, aging and the incidence of infections when the body could not use or excrete enough insulin to convert sugar into blood in energy.

The study found that the risk of bone fracture was higher in type 1 patients when their average blood glucose was significantly higher.

"It is important for type 1 diabetics to properly control their blood sugar for all sorts of reasons, and to avoid fractures," said researcher Francesque Formiga of the University of Barcelona.

"People who have high sugar levels need to understand that this affects their overall health and their bones and can increase the risk of fractures, so they have to change their treatment based on the doctor's recommendations," he said.

"Diabetes has long been associated with an increased risk of fractures, but research findings on the role of high blood sugar levels vary," wrote Christian Meyer of the University Hospital Basel in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Some complications of diabetes can increase the risk of falls and fractures, including cognitive impairment and nerve damage, thus limiting foot sensation and retinal damage, making it difficult for the patient to see obstacles in his path and potentially cause his fall.

The study showed that patients with type 1 diabetes with complications such as retinopathy were 29% more likely to have fractures than those who had none.

"The risk of falling in people who can not cope with a change in posture, such as a stumbling on the road or sprained ankle, is about 400 ppm," said James Richardson, professor of physiotherapy at the Michigan School of Medicine, who did not participate in the study.

(Reuters)