Clinical Risk Factors for Fracture in Diabetes: A Matched Cohort Analysis

The objective was to determine which individuals with diabetes are at increased risk for fracture. It is unknown whether traditional clinical risk factors (CRFs) can be used in this population to identify individuals at higher risk of fracture. Using the Manitoba Bone Density Program database, we identified 3054 diabetic women and 9151 matched nondiabetic controls. The independent association of specific CRFs with incident osteoporotic fracture risk was assessed separately in those with diabetes and in controls, with subsequent examination of the interaction between diagnosed diabetes and each CRF. Prior major fractures were more prevalent in the diabetic group compared with the nondiabetic group (16.2% vs 14.3%, p<0.001). During mean 4 yr of observation, 259 (8.5%) of diabetic women and 559 (6.5%) of nondiabetic women experienced an incident major osteoporotic fracture (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR] for diabetes 1.49 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28-1.72], p<0.001; adjusted HR 1.14 [95% CI: 1.10-1.18], p<0.001). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in the HRs for incident fracture associated with any of the CRFs studied (all p-for-interaction >0.1). Diabetes is a risk factor for major fracture. The ability of traditional CRFs to predict osteoporotic fractures is not influenced by the diagnosis of diabetes.