Type 1 Diabetes Causes Greater Risk of Hip Injury

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Elevated hip fracture risk in type 1 diabetic patients: a population-based cohort study in Sweden, by J. Miao and colleagues. Diabetes Care 29:2850–2855, 2005.

What is the problem and what is known about it so far?

People with type 1 diabetes often have bones that are not very dense, which means that they are more likely to suffer hip fractures. However, studies on the risk for hip fractures have not provided any definitive information about a connection between diabetes and hip injury, especially in men.

Why did the researchers do this particular study?

The number of people with type 1 diabetes is increasing all over the world, and because diabetes treatments are improving, people with diabetes are living longer. This means that many more people will survive long enough to be at risk for breaking their hips. Hip fractures are also connected to other diseases and increased health care costs. Researchers wanted to see if there was a definitive connection between type 1 diabetes and hip fractures and if there are ways to lower the risk of hip fracture.

Who was studied?

Over 24,000 Swedish men and women who had been hospitalized for diabetes before they were 31 years old.

How was the study done?

The men and women were checked on from the time they first went to the hospital for diabetes until the time they first went to the hospital for a hip fracture, until they died, until they moved from the country, or until the end of the study. Researchers then figured out how common it was for a person with type 1 diabetes to break a hip.

What did the researchers find?

The researchers found that patients with type 1 diabetes had a generally higher risk for breaking their hips, and the risk grew with age. The risk was especially high when patients had other health issues, such as heart disease or eye problems.

What were the limitations of the study?

There were several limitations to this study. Information on factors like weight change and smoking were not available. Also, researchers only used age to define whether patients had type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Finally, it is possible that mistakes about patients’ conditions were made in the database from which the researchers got their information.

What are the implications of the study?

The study found that as many as one in fifteen type 1 diabetic patients could break their hip before the age of 65. For this reason, the researchers think it is important to develop methods for controlling diabetes and protecting against broken bones.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Weak Bones and Type 1: What's the Connection?

101 Tips for Aging Well With Diabetes

Diabetes and risk of fracture: the Blue Mountains Eye Study, by R.Q. Ivers and colleagues. Diabetes Care 24:1198–1203, 2002.