Upper extremity impairments in type 1 diabetes: Results from a controlled nationwide study
Objective: This study aimed to identify current and lifetime prevalence of upper extremity impairments (UEI) among people with type 1 diabetes and explore factors associated with UEIs.
Design and Methods: In a Danish cross-sectional, nationwide case-control study, data on UEIs and health behavior was paired with data on sociodemographics and clinical factors from national registers. Participants included people with type 1 diabetes (n=2245) and a control group (n=841). Differences between groups were assessed using binomial proportions and multivariate logistic regression.
Results: Compared to controls, people with type 1 diabetes were significantly (p<0.05) more likely to suffer from frozen shoulder (OR=3.5), carpal tunnel syndrome (OR=3.5), trigger finger (OR=5.0) and Dupuytren’s contracture (OR=4.3). They were also more likely to have several coexisting impairments than the control group (p<0.01). Diabetes duration was associated with all four impairments.
Conclusions: UEIs are very common, and particularly so among people with type 1 diabetes.