Introduction: This study compares an ethnically uniform group of premenopausal type 2 diabetic (T2DM) Arab women with a matched control group of nondiabetic subjects, in terms of their bone mineral density (BMD) and anthropometric measurements.
Methods: The study included 252 premenopausal Arab women. Their age ranged from 26 to 50 yr with a mean+/-SD of 43.65+/-8.97 yr. One hundred and twenty-two women were T2DM patients and 130 women were nondiabetic controls. The controls matched the subjects in gender, age, and body mass index (BMI). BMD was measured at total lumbar spine (L1-L4) and total left hip, using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA; HOLOGIC, QRS SERIES, Europe, Belgium). Difference in BMD and its relationship to the anthropometric measurements in T2DM and control groups were assessed.
Results: Significant difference was found between T2DM patients and nondiabetic patients in their mean hip BMD (0.92+/-0.16 vs. 0.87+/-0.14, p<0.05) and spine BMD (0.93+/-0.15 vs. 0.88+/-0.14, p<0.01). No significant difference was found in age, height, weight, and BMI (p>0.05). The increase in hip BMD in T2DM patients normalized and the increase in spine BMD persisted after controlling for the confounding effect of age and anthropometric measurements.
Conclusion: Premenopausal Arab women with T2DM have higher BMD at the spine than women without T2DM. The underlying mechanism causing this increase does not seem to be related to ethnicity, gender, hormonal status, or anthropometric measurements.