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. 2013 Jul;3(3):349-54.
doi: 10.4103/2141-9248.117942.

Prevalence of hand disorders in type 2 diabetes mellitus and its correlation with microvascular complications

A Pandey  1 , K Usman, H Reddy, M Gutch, N Jain, Sa Qidwai
Affiliations

Prevalence of hand disorders in type 2 diabetes mellitus and its correlation with microvascular complications

A Pandey et al. Ann Med Health Sci Res. 2013 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Physicians have long recognized the association between diabetes mellitus and several pathologic conditions of the hand. The most commonly recognized maladies are limited joint mobility (LJM), Dupuytren's disease (DD), trigger finger (TF), and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Incidence of these hand disorders has increased in the setting of diabetes. Collectively, these are described as diabetic hand syndrome.

Aim: The aims were to find out the prevalence of hand disorders in diabetic patients, and to study the relation of these hand disorders with microvascular complications.

Subjects and methods: This is an observational cross-sectional case-control study done over a period of 1 year Patients of type 2 DM, of age < 65 years, who visited Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Lucknow were enrolled and were described as cases. Age- and sex-matched nondiabetic individuals were taken in the control group. The data were analyzed using software SPSS. SPSS Inc. Released 2008. SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 17.0. Chicago: SPSS Inc. Means and standard deviations were computed; the Student t-test and Chi-square (χ(2)) test were used as appropriate.

Results: A total of 400 subjects were studied, 200 each in the case and control groups. Of total 200 diabetic patients, 30% (60/200) patients had neuropathy, 37.5% (75/200) had nephropathy, and 44.5% (89/200) patients had retinopathy. In the study population, 67% patients were having one or more hand disorders, in which LJM was found in 40.5% (81/200) patients, DD was found in 19% (38/200) patients, TF in 16.5% (33/200), and CTS in 14% (28/200) patients.

Conclusions: This study shows a high prevalence of hand disorders in diabetic patients and also correlates with the duration of type 2 DM, LJM being the most common hand disorder and more common in patients who have microvascular complications.

Keywords: Carpal tunnel syndrome; Dupuytren's disease; Limited joint mobility; Trigger finger.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diabetic cheiroarthropathy or stiff hand syndrome
Figure 2
Figure 2
The preacher's sign involves the patient holding the hands opposed to one another vertically with elbows flexed and wrists extended. A positive sign is indicated by an inability of the patient to completely approximate the palmar surface of the digits
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relative percentage of hand disorder with respect to microvascular complication
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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