Evaluation of bone mineral status in prepuberal children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes

Abstract

Purpose: Many studies have reported that patients with type 1 diabetes have reduced bone mineral density (BMD). We assessed bone status in prepubertal children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (type 1 DM) at initial diagnosis and investigated factors associated with BMD. Methods: Prepubertal children (n=29) with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes from 2006 to 2014 were included. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measured regional and whole-body composition at initial diagnosis. BMD was compared with healthy controls matched for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI). Results: The mean age of all subjects (16 boys and 13 girls) was 7.58±1.36 years (range, 4.8–11.3 years). Initial mean glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA 1c ) level was 12.2%±1.9%. The mean BMD z-scores of lumbar spine, femur neck, and total body were not significantly different between patients and controls. Three patients (10.3%) had low bone density (total body BMD standard deviation score [SDS]