According to British researchers, type 1 diabetes is likely to play a causal role for the first time in various musculoskeletal disorders, including frozen shoulder.
By analyzing genetic and health data, the researchers identified four conditions that they said should now be considered complications of type 1 diabetes.
“It is critical that health professionals are aware of these complications.”
Elizabeth Robertson
In addition to the frozen shoulder, the conditions identified by the study’s authors were trigger finger, carpal tunnel syndrome, and Dupuytren’s contracture.
It is known that some musculoskeletal disorders are more common in people with type 1 diabetes.
So far, however, it was not clear whether type 1 diabetes was a direct cause or whether other factors are at play, according to the researchers.
The team led by Dr. Harry Green of the University of Exeter analyzed data from the UK biobank – one of the largest health studies in the world – and FinnGen, a similar database in Finland.
The researchers used genetic and health information to study whether people with type 1 diabetes were more likely to develop a range of common conditions.
When a link was established between type 1 diabetes and another health condition, they used a statistical technique called Mendelian randomization to understand whether diabetes was causal.
The analysis found that type 1 directly increased the risk of developing a frozen shoulder, trigger finger, carpal tunnel syndrome, and Dupuytren’s contracture.
Raising health care professionals’ awareness of complications in type 1 diabetes would aid early diagnosis and treatment and improve outcomes, the authors say.
They found that all four were musculoskeletal disorders characterized by pain and limited mobility in the shoulder, hand, wrist, or fingers.
“It is often unclear whether diabetes has a direct causal role or is associated for other reasons.”
Harry Green
The authors suggested that, as with other known complications of type 1 diabetes, damage to the musculoskeletal system is likely caused by high blood sugar levels over a long period of time.
However, this study did not find that type 1 diabetes played a causal role in the development of osteoarthritis.
The results of the study were presented at this year’s Diabetes UK Professional Conference, which will be held practically between April 19 and 30.
Dr. Green, an independent research fellow at Exeter University, said, “Many diseases are known to be linked to diabetes, but it is often unclear whether diabetes is a direct causal factor or otherwise.
“We hope that a better understanding of the causal role that type 1 diabetes and long-term high blood sugar play in the development of musculoskeletal disorders will pave the way for these disorders to be detected earlier in patients with diabetes.”
Dr. Elizabeth Robertson, Director of Research at Diabetes UK, said, “Dr. Green has shown for the first time that several musculoskeletal disorders can be a direct complication of type 1 diabetes.
“People with type 1 diabetes should now be made aware of these conditions alongside established complications such as heart and kidney disease,” she said.
She added, “It is critical that health professionals are aware of these complications so that they have the knowledge to enable early diagnosis and treatment.”
