Prevalence of diabetes mellitus in patients with shoulder symptoms is low.

Introduction: Patients with diabetes mellitus have a high risk of developing symptoms from their shoulder. The generally accepted theory is that high blood glucose levels cause excessive glycosylation and that the delay in diagnosing diabetes mellitus may influence the risk of acquiring a musculoskeletal disorder. The aim of the study was to determine whether there was a large percentage of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus in a population of patients with shoulder symptoms.