Comparison of the effect of Dapagliflozin and Pioglitazone on the risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women with Type-2 diabetes

OBJECTIVE: Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and osteoporosis, which increase with age, are two common diseases with different complications. The risk of fractures due to osteoporosis is 2 to 6 times higher in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Medications used in the treatment of DM in addition to the disease itself are associated with the risk of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures. This study was planned to examine the effects of pioglitazone and dapagliflozin, used in the treatment of T2DM, on the development of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. METHODS: This single-centre comparative study was conducted at Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Polyclinic of a Hospital between April 15, 2019 and April 15, 2020, with a total of 80 postmenopausal female patients with a diagnosis of T2DM and 20 in the control group, aged between 50 and 70. The participants were evaluated under four groups: “Control” without diabetes mellitus (n=20), “Pioglitazone” using (n=30), “Dapagliflozin” using (n=30), and “Other Oral Antidiabetic” using (n=20). RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 61.32±6.27 years. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in the hip and waist T-score values of participants with T2DM in the study (p>0.05). There was no significant difference in waist and hip t-score values between the intervention groups. Pioglitazone and dapagliflozin used in postmenopausal T2DM patients were determined not to make a significant difference in waist and hip bone mineral density values. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that pioglitazone and dapagliflozin can be used in postmenopausal T2DM individuals without known osteoporosis and other osteoporosis risk factors.