# Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index as a Predictor for Osteoporosis Risk in Elderly Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Hospital-Based Study

## TL;DR

This study finds that a nutritional risk index can predict osteoporosis in elderly type 2 diabetes patients.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates the GNRI's predictive value for osteoporosis in elderly T2DM patients.

## Key findings

- Osteoporosis was present in 15% of elderly T2DM patients.
- Lower GNRI scores correlated with reduced bone mineral density.
- GNRI showed strong predictive performance with an AUC of 0.80.

## Abstract

Background: Osteoporosis is a major complication in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Malnutrition contributes to bone loss, and the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) has emerged as a simple tool for assessing nutritional status. Evidence on the predictive value of the GNRI for osteoporosis in elderly patients with T2DM remains limited. Objective: To evaluate the association between GNRI scores and osteoporosis and determine its predictive performance in elderly patients with T2DM. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 elderly patients with T2DM attending the internal medicine outpatient clinics at Zagazig university hospitals between January and October 2025. Clinical data, biochemical parameters, and bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip were assessed. GNRI scores were calculated using standard formulas. Participants were classified into osteoporosis and non-osteoporosis groups according to WHO criteria. Correlations and ROC curve analysis were performed to assess the predictive ability of the GNRI in comparison with age, BMI, and serum albumin. Results: Osteoporosis was present in 15% of the cohort. Patients with osteoporosis had significantly lower GNRI scores and lower BMD values at all measured sites (p < 0.05). The GNRI showed significant positive correlations with BMD parameters in both sexes. ROC analysis demonstrated that the GNRI had the highest predictive performance for osteoporosis (AUC = 0.80 for all patients; AUC = 0.85 in males; AUC = 0.77 in females). Optimal GNRI cutoff values were <100.03 for the total sample, <99.10 for males, and <100.3 for females. Conclusions: The GNRI is a valuable and simple clinical tool for predicting osteoporosis in elderly patients with T2DM. Lower GNRI scores are significantly associated with reduced BMD. Incorporating the GNRI into routine assessment may help identify high-risk patients who require early screening and intervention.