Fractures and Osteoporosis in Patients With Diabetes With Charcot Foot

OBJECTIVE Charcot foot is a serious complication of diabetes, with degeneration of the bones and joints in the foot and ankle. It is unknown whether patients with diabetes with a Charcot foot have an increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures. The aim of this study was to investigate whether patients with diabetes with a Charcot foot have an increased risk of fracture and/or osteoporosis compared with patients with diabetes without Charcot foot. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A Danish register-based, nationwide population-based matched cohort study was conducted. During 1995–2018, we identified 1,602 patients with diabetes with Charcot foot and matched them on sex and date of diagnosis of diabetes with 16,296 patients with diabetes without Charcot foot. We used logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs for fracture and osteoporosis. Information about exposure, outcome, and comorbidities was retrieved from the Danish National Patient Register. RESULTS Diabetes patients with Charcot foot had higher risk of fractures compared with those without Charcot foot (i.e., ORs for any fracture, lower-leg fracture, foot fracture, and osteoporotic fracture were 1.8 [95% CI 1.6–2.0], 2.4 [2.0–2.8], 2.9 [2.6–3.3], and 1.3 [1.1–1.4], respectively). Furthermore, patients with diabetes with Charcot foot had higher risk of osteoporosis compared with the patients without Charcot foot, with an OR of 1.3 (95% CI 1.1–1.5). CONCLUSIONS Patients with diabetes with a Charcot foot have an increased risk of fractures and osteoporosis compared with patients with diabetes without a Charcot foot.