Gender-specific impacts of thigh skinfold thickness and grip strength for predicting osteoporosis in type 2 diabetes

Chieh-Hua Lu; Chien-Hsing Lee; Li-Wei Wu; Chun-Cheng Liao; Sheng-Chiang Su; Jhih-Syuan Liu; Peng-Fei Li; Chia-Luen Huang; Li-Ju Ho; Chien-Ming Lin; Ming-Hsun Lin; Chun-Yung Chang; Yi-Chen Liu; Chih-Ping Lin; An-Che Cheng; Feng-Chih Kuo

doi:10.1186/s13098-023-01087-w

Gender-specific impacts of thigh skinfold thickness and grip strength for predicting osteoporosis in type 2 diabetes

Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2023 May 18;15(1):103. doi: 10.1186/s13098-023-01087-w.

Authors

Chieh-Hua Lu¹, Chien-Hsing Lee¹, Li-Wei Wu^{2

3

4}, Chun-Cheng Liao^{5

6

7}, Sheng-Chiang Su¹, Jhih-Syuan Liu¹, Peng-Fei Li¹, Chia-Luen Huang¹, Li-Ju Ho¹, Chien-Ming Lin⁸, Ming-Hsun Lin¹, Chun-Yung Chang⁹, Yi-Chen Liu¹, Chih-Ping Lin¹, An-Che Cheng¹, Feng-Chih Kuo¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, 325, Section 2, Cheng-Kung Road, 114, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
² Division of Family Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
³ Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
⁴ Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
⁵ Department of Family Medicine, Taichung Armed Forces General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
⁶ School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
⁷ Department of Medical Education and Research, Taichung Armed Forces General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
⁸ Department of Pediatrics, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
⁹ Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
¹⁰ Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, 325, Section 2, Cheng-Kung Road, 114, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. shoummie@hotmail.com.

Abstract

Background: Diabetes with co-existing bone fragility or osteoporosis is common in elderly patients, whereas is frequently underestimated.

Methods: We conducted dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) with 7-site skinfold (SF) and dominant hand grip strength measurements among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) to assess their gender-specific associations. A total of 103 patients with T2DM (60 females and 43 males), aged between 50 and 80 years (median 68.0 years) were enrolled and 45 non-DM females were also included to compare with T2DM females.

Results: Our results revealed osteoporosis was negatively correlated with grip strength in both genders, negatively correlated with lean mass solely in males and negatively correlated with fat mass (particular the gynoid fat mass and thigh SF thickness) in females. Via performing multivariable stepwise logistic regression, we identified grip strength in both genders and thigh SF thickness in females as predictors for osteoporosis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis further disclosed 20.5 mm female thigh skinfold thickness, 18.1 kg female grip strength and 29.0 kg male grip strength as reasonable cutoff levels for predicting osteoporosis in the Taiwanese patients with T2DM.

Conclusions: Patients with T2DM presented gender-specific associations between osteoporosis, body composition and grip strength. Grip strength and thigh SF thickness might serve as predictors for detection of osteoporosis in patients with T2DM.

Keywords: Body composition; Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry; Grip strength; Osteoporosis; Skinfold measurement; Type 2 diabetes.

Abstract

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