High HbA1c levels are associated with development of trigger finger in type 1 and type 2 diabetes – an observational register-based study from Sweden

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posted on 2022-08-25, 15:06 authored by Mattias Rydberg, Malin Zimmerman, Anders Gottsäter, Katarina Eeg-Olofsson, Lars B. Dahlin

Objective

Trigger finger (TF) is a hand disorder causing the fingers to painfully lock in flexion. Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a known risk factor, however, whether strict glycemic control effectively lowers the risk of TF is unknown. Our aim was to examine if a high HbA1c was associated with increased risk of TF among individuals with DM.

Research Design and Methods

The Swedish National Diabetes Register (NDR) was crosslinked with the healthcare register of the Region of Skåne in southern Sweden. In total, 9,682 individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and 85,755 individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) aged ≥ 18 years were included from 2004 to 2019. Associations between HbA1c and TF were calculated using sex-stratified, multivariate logistic regression models with 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusted for age, duration of DM, body mass index, and systolic blood pressure.

Results

In total, 486 women and 271 men with T1D and 1,143 women and 1,009 men with T2D were diagnosed with TF. Increased levels of HbA1c were associated with TF among individuals with T1D (women OR 1.26; 95% CI: 1.1 – 1.4, p = 0.001, men OR 1.4; 95% CI: 1.2 – 1.7 p < 0.001) and T2D (women OR 1.14; 95% CI: 1.2 – 1.2, p < 0.001, men OR 1.12; 95% CI: 1.0 – 1.2, p = 0.003).

Conclusions

Hyperglycemia increases the risk of developing trigger finger among individuals with T1D and T2D. Optimal treatment of DM seems to be of importance in order to prevent diabetic hand complications such as TF.