People with type 2 diabetes are more likely to develop spinal fractures that sometimes have no obvious symptoms but are tied to increased risk of future broken bones, a research review in the Netherlands suggests, Reuters reports.

The study was carried out by Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Results were published in the Diabetes Care magazine.

People with type 2 diabetes were 35 percent more likely than those without the disease to have vertebral fractures, the analysis found.

And individuals with both diabetes and vertebral fractures were more than twice as likely as others to experience broken bones elsewhere in the body.

Based on our findings, we suggest that individuals with type 2 diabetes should be systematically assessed for the presence of vertebral fractures,” the authors write.

 A good reason to start treatment for osteoporosis 

Moreover, when people with diabetes do have vertebral fractures, the study team advises, this would be a good reason to start treatment for osteoporosis to help prevent future broken bones.

The analysis focused on so-called vertebral fractures, also known as compression fractures, that happen when bones in the spine weaken and crumple, often in the lower back. These fractures can be caused by injuries or by osteoporosis and may have few symptoms, but they can lead to problems like severe chronic pain or reduced height.

15 prior studies analyzed

The current study included data from 15 prior studies with a total of 852,702 men and women.

“Currently, there are no specific guidelines for the assessment of fracture risk or treatment of osteoporosis in individuals with type 2 diabetes,” Fjorda Koromani of Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues write in Diabetes Care.

Read the study HERE.