| Objective To investigate the changes of bone mineral density (BMD) in young and middle-aged patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and microvascular complications. Methods A total of 129 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) aged from 18 to 50 years old who were hospitalized in our department from 2010 to December 2019 were retrospectively selected, and 129 non-diabetic control subjects who underwent physical examination in our hospital during the same period were selected. Among them, female subjects were premenopaual. The biochemical indexes, 25 hydroxyvitamin D, serum calcium, phosphorus, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and hip were measured. Microvascular complications in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus were screened. The changes of bone mineral density in young and middle-aged patients with T1DM and microvascular complications were studied using t test, Chi square test, covariant analysis, one way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression. Results In the male group, BMD of all measured sites in T1DM patients was lower than that in non-diabetic controls (P=0.000, 0.000, 0.018). After further adjustment of relevant clinical variables, BMD of all sites was still lower than that of control (P=0.018, 0.036, 0.018). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the course of disease, serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D concentration, and microvascular complications may be the influencing factors of male BMD. BMD in patients with two or more microvascular complications was significantly lower than that of patients with one or no complications. There was no significant difference in BMD in female patients compared with the control group. Conclusion Young and middle-aged men with T1DM are prone to bone loss, especially those with microvascular complications. Therefore, it is very important to exam BMD in young and middle-aged male patients. |