Is diabetes mellitus a risk factor for low bone density: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background This systematic review aimed to investigate whether diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for low bone density, as this might be important and necessary for doctors specialized in treating patients with low bone density. Methods PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and SciELO were searched for cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies that investigated the effects of diabetes mellitus on bone mineral density till January 2020. Data screening and extraction are done independently, whereas the methodological quality of the studies was assessed according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Results A total of 14 studies that met the eligibility criteria including 24,340 participants were enrolled. The overall quality of the studies had a scale of over 6 points. The overall odds ratio (OR) regarding the risk of diabetes mellitus in low bone density patients was 1.20 [95% confidence interval (CI)0.80–1.79, P = 0.30], and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (OR = 0.69 [0.11, 4.55], P = 0.70). Subgroup analysis revealed that whether females or males, developed or developing countries, T2DM, studies after 2015, and quality over 7 points (all P values > 0.05) showed no significant differences with the risk of low bone density, except type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) (OR = 3.83 [1.64, 8.96], P = 0.002), and studies before 2015 (OR = 1.76 [1.06, 2.92], P = 0.03), and quality below 7 points (OR = 2.27 [1.50, 3.43], P = 0.0001). Funnel plot showed no significant asymmetry. Conclusions These findings revealed no relationship between T2DM and low bone density, and also, the evidence between T1DM and low bone density is inadequate, requiring further analysis of well-designed cohort studies.