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Puerto Ricans with diabetes more likely to have OA of hands, knees
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Hispanic patients from Puerto Rico with diabetes mellitus were more likely to have osteoarthritis of the hands and knees than a nondiabetic cohort, according to study results.
Researchers in Puerto Rico conducted a cross-sectional study of 202 Hispanics. One hundred patients had diabetes mellitus (DM; mean age 53.3 years; 64% women), and 102 patients were nondiabetic (mean age 50 years; 64.7% women). American College of Rheumatology criteria were used to determine overall prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) of the hand and knee in 37.6% of study participants. Associations of DM with hand or knee OA were evaluated through multivariable logistic regression, which also was used to evaluate associated factors.
Seventy-six patients (56 women) were classified as having OA. Forty-nine percent of DM patients compared with 26.5% of non DM patients had OA (P<.01).
Among patients with DM, two had systemic lupus erythematosus and five had fibromyalgia. There was one case each of gouty arthritis and fibromyalgia in the nondiabetic cohort.
Compared with nondiabetic participants, patients with DM were twice as likely of having OA (OR=2.18; 95% CI, 1.12-4.24) in multivariable analysis. In particular, women with DM were five times more likely to have hand or knee OA (OR=5.06; 95% CI, 1.66-15.56), while patients who did not use insulin alone for DM therapy were more likely to have OA (OR=4.44; 95% CI, 1.22-16.12).
“We found that patients with DM were more likely to have hand or knee than were nondiabetic patients,” the researchers concluded. “Among DM patients, females were at greater risk for OA, whereas the use of insulin was negatively associated.
“Identification of DM individuals at high risk for OA is essential for the improvement and maintenance of a good quality of life.”
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