Musculoskeletal disorders of the hand in type 2 diabetes mellitus: prevalence and its associated factors.

Aim: To assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders of the hand among adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and their relation to disease duration, glycemic control and microvascular complications.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Genetics in Amman, Jordan.

Results: One thousand patients with T2DM were included in this study (mean age 57.8 ± 9.5 years, 52.2% females and 47.8% males). Hand disorders were seen in 69.5% of patients, limited joint mobility (LJM) was the most prevalent (63.1%) condition followed by Dupuytren's contracture (DC) (18.6%). Trigger finger, thick skin and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) were found in 7.2%, 6.2% and 5.5% of patients, respectively. One disorder was seen in 45.4% of patients, two in18.2%, three in 4.9%, four in 0.9%, while only 0.1% of patients had all disorders. Female gender, age over 60 years and long duration of diabetes were associated with hand abnormalities. Hypertension was significantly associated with DC while retinopathy was associated with increased odds of thick skin, DC and CTS with P-values 0.037, < 0.005 and 0.002, respectively.

Conclusion: Hand disorders are very common in T2DM. Female gender, old age, duration of diabetes, retinopathy and hypertension were significantly associated with hand disorders in T2DM.