Glycaemic control tied to raised fracture risk in type 1 diabetes

Patients with type 1 diabetes are more likely to break a bone when they have poor glycaemic control, a large study suggests.

Diabetes has long been linked to an increased risk of fractures, but research to date has been mixed regarding exactly what role blood glucose levels play in this risk, the Swiss authors say.

Researchers at University Hospital Basel looked at almost 3330 individuals with type 1 diabetes and 44,275 with type 2 diabetes diagnosed between 1995 and 2015 in the UK.

During the study period, 672 people with type 1 diabetes and 8859 with type 2 diabetes experienced bone fractures.

Median duration between diabetes onset and fracture date was 4.5 years for both groups.

The risk of fracture was increased in type 1 diabetes patients with mean HbA1c greater than 8.0% (adjusted odds ratio: 1.39) compared with their peers with mean HbA1c values of 7.0% or less.

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