Is metacarpophalangeal joint restriction an indicator of blood pressure?

Arterial wall stiffness is implicated in the etiopathogenesis of hypertension, reflecting medial stiffness and atherosclerotic plaques. In individuals with diabetes, musculoskeletal phenotypes like limited joint mobility (LJM) in the hands suggests soft tissue fibrosis and could mirror internal organ fibrosis including arterial stiffness. In Quantifying hand stiffness, mean extension at the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint emerges as a promising metric. In a type 1 diabetes cohort, this correlated with structural fibrotic changes on MRI. The study introduces a clinically scalable methodology for measuring joint stiffness, with implications for community screening programs for hypertension. In an ongoing study with 1885 participants, MCP extension showed a significant association with SBP (p <0.001). Linear regression, adjusted for age, gender, and diabetes status, reveals a negative correlation between average MCP extension and SBP. These pilot findings support earlier associations with an easier methodology. Future work involves establishing cutoffs in mean MCP extension for optimized screening algorithms, considering potential confounders like physical activity. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study is funded through a DBT/Wellcome India Alliance Clinical and Public Health Fellowship (IA/CPHE/19/504607) ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: King Edward Memorial Hospital Research Centre (KEMHRC) Ethics Committee, Pune, India I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors