Association between diabetes mellitus and disability in hand osteoarthritis

Aims:Osteoarthritis (OA) and diabetes mellitus (DM) may coexist frequently. The increase in overall OA incidence is correlated with poor glycemic control and disease duration in patients with DM. However, the association between a DM diagnosis and specifically hand OA has not been explicitly determined. We assessed the association between DM and severity of disability in hand OA.Methods:This single-center, case-control study prospectively enrolled outpatients with hand OA who visited a physical therapy and rehabilitation clinic. The patients were grouped according to the presence of DM diagnosis. Pain, hand function, grip strength, and quality of life were evaluated and compared between the two groups.Results:The study included 100 participants [Age: 62.7±10.7 years (33-92); female: 78%]. The mean Australian/Canadian OA hand index of patients with OA with (n=50) and without DM (n=50) was 30.7±10.1 vs. 19.9±9.6, respectively (p<0.001). The mean lateral grip strength of the dominant hand of patients with and without DM was 4.5±2.1 vs. 5.9±2.1, respectively (p=0.002). Lateral grip strength of the non-dominant hand showed a negative correlation with DM duration among women (r=-0.387, p=0.018) and a positive correlation with hemoglobin A1c level among men (r=0.609, p=0.027).Conclusions:This study showed an association between DM diagnosis and severity of hand disability in patients with hand OA, with different patterns among women and men. Nevertheless, the results were unadjusted for relevant confounders.