Risk factors for osteoporosis in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Osteoporosis is a prevalent chronic result of diabetes. Osteoporosis susceptibility is raised by unstable blood glucose levels, oxidative stress, hormonal abnormalities, and other factors. Currently, there is no systematic review addressing the risk factors of osteoporosis in diabetes. This study intends to systematically assess the current risk factors related to diabetic osteoporosis (DOP) and provide suggestions for the improvement of therapy approaches. Methods and analysis: We will search five English literature databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library) and three Chinese databases (CNKI, WanFang, and SinoMed) from the starting point until December 31, 2024. We will perform a systematic examination and meta-analysis of cohort and case-control studies to identify all population-based risk factors for diabetic osteoporosis. Two researchers will independently assess the publication, extract data, and evaluate the quality and potential biases present in the study. We will utilize RevMan V.5.4 software and STATA 16.0 for data analysis. The included studies will be assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Quality Assessment Instrument (NOS). If the heterogeneity of the included studies is higher than 50%, we will perform subgroup and sensitivity analysis to identify probable sources of heterogeneity. The assessment of publication bias will be conducted using funnel plot. Furthermore, we will employ the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) to assess the quality of evidence for each exposure and outcome. Discussion: This protocol aims to investigate the risk variables associated with DOP. We will summarize the current knowledge about factors influencing osteoporosis in diabetes. We strive to assist physicians with more extensive references for decision-making and facilitate the implementation of effective prevention strategies for DOP. Registration: This study has been registered in the PROSPERO (CRD42024602637).