Is carotid plaque associated with worse bone mineral density in patients with type 2 diabetes?
Carotid plaque is associated with worse bone mineral density in women with type 2 diabetes, suggesting a sex-specific link between atherosclerosis and skeletal health.
Among patients with T2DM, carotid plaque was independently associated with worse osteoporosis category in women but not in men. These findings indicate sex-specific associations between carotid atherosclerosis and skeletal health; however, given the cross-sectional design and unavailable key confounders (e.g., lifestyle factors, central adiposity measures, medication patterns, and fracture outcomes), the results should be interpreted as associative and require confirmation in prospective studies.
Liu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.