Limited joint mobility of the hand: prevalence and relation to chronic complications in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients.

A total of 170 non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients admitted to Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital during the period from January 1988 to December 1989 were examined for the presence of cheiroarthropathy. Fifty-four percent (92 patients) had limited joint mobility (LJM) of the hand, a prevalence significantly higher than that of non-diabetic controls (7%). Duration of diabetes was positively related to the severity of LJM (p = 0.03, chi-square contingency table). Chronic diabetic complications such as cataracts (p = 0.04) and overt proteinuria (p = 0.03) were also associated with the presence of LJM, and diabetic retinopathy (p = 0.007); vision-threatening retinopathy was strongly associated with the presence of LJM (p = 0.0002). The sex ratio, HbA1c and creatinine clearance rates did not show significant differences between patients with and without LJM. In conclusion, the occurrence of LJM of the hand in NIDDM patients observed at this hospital is common and is often accompanied by other chronic diabetic complications. Its presence should alert physicians to other associated diabetic complications with increased morbidity and mortality.