Ischemic heart disease is associated with vertebral fractures in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: Discordant results about the relationship between diabetes complications and the risk of fragility fractures have been reported. Our aims were to analyze the factors related to morphometric vertebral fractures (VFs) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and to explore the association between the presence of VFs and the main cardiovascular risk factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We carried out a cross‐sectional study including 123 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and in 72 of these patients we recorded data about the risk factors for VFs and comorbidities of diabetes including diabetes‐related microvascular disease and cardiovascular disease. RESULTS: In the crude analysis, diabetic retinopathy (odds ratio [OR] 4.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01–12.5), ischemic heart disease (OR 5.02, 95% CI 1.1–9.7) and waist circumference (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.006–1.114) were related to VFs. In the full model (adjusted for age, sex, body mass index), ischemic heart disease was the only determinant of VF (OR 3.33, CI 1.02–10.91, P = 0.047); whereas diabetic retinopathy did not reached significance (OR 2.27, CI 0.71–7.27, P = 0.16). CONCLUSIONS: In summary, ischemic heart disease is associated with an increased risk of VFs in type 2 diabetes mellitus.