A growing body of research is showing that type 1 diabetes leads to impaired bone health and a fragile skeleton.

A recent study looked at medical records from 303,394 type 1 diabetes patients aged between 0 and 89 years. These were compared with 303,872 people without type 1 diabetes. The researchers found that people with type 1 diabetes have a significantly greater risk of both lower extremity fractures and hip fractures than people without diabetes. At this stage the mechanism behind this increased risk has not been determined.

Type 1 diabetes is an endocrine (hormonal) condition but it's important to remember that it is also an autoimmune disease. The pancreas is no longer able to secrete sufficient insulin because it has been damaged by the immune system. The auto-antibodies and inflammatory chemicals secreted by the immune system in all autoimmune diseases create a great deal of inflammation throughout the entire body. We know that chronic inflammation wears away at bones and increases fracture risk - read more.

Type 1 diabetes is a serious disease with a large number of long term adverse consequences. This study should highlight the importance of maintaining good bone health, particularly in post-menopausal women.

Reference:

Weber, David R., Kevin Haynes, Mary B. Leonard, et al. "Type 1 Diabetes Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Fracture Across the Life Span: A Population-Based Cohort Study Using The Health Improvement Network (THIN)." Diabetes Care Dia Care (2015): Dc150783. Web. 5 Aug. 2015.