Beyond bone health: The impact of poor glycemic control on bone biomarkers and systemic inflammation in postmenopausal women

Background: Postmenopausal women, especially those with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), are at an increased risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis. Hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and estrogen deficiency exacerbate bone loss. In India, the prevalence of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women ranges from 8% to 62%. Diabetes-induced osteoporosis has been attributed to poor glycemic control in patients with T2DM because glycosuria leads to hypercalciuria. Methods: The present study was carried out on 130 postmenopausal women with T2DM who were compared with 130 normoglycemic postmenopausal women. The effect of raised blood glucose on biomarkers like serum vitamin D levels, inflammatory marker hs-CRP level and bone markers ALP, Calcium and Phosphorus in post-menopausal diabetic women was assessed using SPSS 29.0 software. Results: In postmenopausal diabetic women, the serum ALP and hs-CRP levels were increased, whereas serum Vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus levels were decreased. Conclusion: Hence, our study concludes that various biomarkers such as ALP, Vitamin D, hs-CRP, calcium, and phosphorus are affected by high glycemic levels in postmenopausal women. Proper screening for impending fractures in at-risk populations (postmenopausal women) is necessary to combat this healthcare burden.