Diabetes mellitus is associated with an increased risk of falls, which increases the incidence of osteoporotic fractures and accordingly decreases quality of life. However, the association between fall risk and diabetic complications is not completely understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the association between fall risk and osteoporotic fractures in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We enrolled 194 Japanese patients with T2DM and assessed their fall risk using a brief interview form that included five items covering physical and social aspects of functioning and environmental factors. We examined the associations between fall risk and the presence of diabetic complications, such as neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral artery disease (PAD), and osteoporotic fractures (including any fracture and vertebral fractures only). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, a longer history of T2DM, the presence of neuropathy and PAD, and a history of any fractures were significantly and positively associated with the risk of falls. On the other hand, a lower body mass index, the presence of neuropathy, and the risk of falls were independently and positively associated with the risk of any fracture. When fractures were limited to vertebral fractures only, the association with the risk of falls remained significant. We found that the risk of falls and osteoporotic fractures were associated in patients with T2DM and that a brief screening test of the risk of falls was useful for assessing the risk of osteoporotic fractures.
Keywords: Fall; Fracture; Neuropathy; Osteoporosis; Type 2 diabetes mellitus.