Senile diabetes and bone mineral density.

Bone mineral density was determined in a series of 67 elderly diabetics (38 males and 29 females) and 40 non-diabetic elderly subjects (20 males and 20 females) at the third medial and tenth ultradistal of the non-dominating radius using an X-ray densitometer (DEXA). Bone metabolism markers (Ct, PTH, HOP, UCA, AP, Vit-25-OH-D, BGP) were also measured. Our results indicate that there is no significant difference in values of BMD and the bone metabolism markers studied between diabetic and non-diabetic elderly subjects. We believe that senile diabetes is not a risk factor of onset and maintenance of senile osteoporosis.