Impaired healing of fragility fractures in type 2 diabetes: clinical and radiographic assessments and serum cytokine levels

Background Diabetes induces bone alterations accompanied by altered cytokine expression patterns. These alterations lead to modified fracture healing, contributing to musculoskeletal fragility in the elderly. Aims We evaluated the inflammatory immune response in diabetic patients during fracture healing relative to clinical and radiographic assessments. Methods Fifty patients of both sexes with fragility fractures were studied: 30 diabetics (group A, mean age 73.4 +/- 11.2 years) and 20 normoglycemic controls (group B, mean age 75.1 +/- 16.9 years). Two subgroups comprised those with hip or wrist fragility fractures (25 and 16 patients, respectively). We evaluated serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukins 4 and 8, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), vascular endothelial growth factor, and epidermal growth factor (EGF) before and at 4 and 8 weeks after surgery. We also determined the Radiographic Union Score for Hips and the Radius Union Scoring System score and applied the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly test at the same time points. Each patient underwent bone densitometry. Results MCP-1 and EGF levels were higher in group A than in group B at 4 weeks after surgery (p > 0.05). Radiographic evaluation showed lower scores in group A (p < 0.05). The main difference between the groups was evident 4 weeks after surgery. Changes in the serum concentrations of chemotactic and angiogenic factors could explain the radiographically proved impaired fracture healing in diabetic patients. Conclusions Fragility fracture healing is impaired in diabetic patients. Radiographic and molecular patterns confirmed that the most compromised fracture-healing phase is at 4 weeks after surgery, during callus mineralization.