Diabetes and low muscle mass concentrate vertebral fractures

A cross-sectional study examined 1,642 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older in Changchun, China, to evaluate how type 2 diabetes and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-defined low muscle mass relate to prevalent radiographic vertebral fractures. Participants were classified into four groups: neither condition, diabetes alone, low muscle mass alone, or both conditions.

Overall, 343 participants (20.9%) had a radiographic vertebral fracture. The coexisting phenotype represented 14.1% of the cohort but accounted for 31.5% of all fracture events. Observed fracture prevalence was 11.5% for neither condition, 20.7% for diabetes alone, 24.2% for low muscle mass alone, and 46.6% for both. After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, and smoking, the prevalence ratio for individuals with both conditions was 3.63 (95% CI, 2.81–4.68) compared to those with neither.