Prevalence of hand syndromes among patients with diabetes mellitus in Taiwan: A population-based study

Background: Population-based data for diabetic hand syndrome (DHS) are limited. The aim of the present epidemiological study was to estimate the overall and cause-specific prevalence and rate ratio (RR) of DHS in patients with diabetes. Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study based on a random sample of 57 093 diabetics and matched controls, both identified from Taiwan National Health Insurance claims in 2010. The DHS analyzed in the present study included carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), stenosing flexor tenosynovitis (SFT), limited joint mobility (LJM), and Dupuytren's disease (DD). Results: The prevalence of overall DHS was estimated at 2472 per 10⁵ for the diabetics, compared with 1641 per 10⁵ for the controls, representing a prevalence RR of 1.51 (95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.39–1.64). Stratified analyses further revealed that the significantly increased prevalence of overall DHS was more evident in females than males (1.59 vs 1.36) and was only noted in diabetics aged ≥35 years. Cause-specific analysis suggested that patients with diabetes had the highest prevalence of CTS (1244 per 10⁵), followed by SFT (1209 per 10⁵), LJM (39 per 10⁵), and DD (6 per 10⁵). In addition, diabetes was only significantly associated with CTS (RR 1.34; 95 % CI 1.20–1.51) and SFT (1.74; 95 % CI 1.54–1.97). Conclusion: The prevalence of overall and certain cause-specific DHS was significantly elevated in patients with diabetes in Taiwan.