medwireNews: People with type 2 diabetes who have a trigger finger are likely at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), researchers say.
In the multivariate analysis, a trigger finger was associated with a more than three-fold increased risk of CVD incidents, report Michiaki Fukui (Medical Prefecture University of Kyoto, Japan) and co-authors of the study.
Of 399 people with type 2 diabetes previously free of CVD, 13.5% had a trigger finger that was diagnosed “by palpation of a thickened flexion tendon or when a locking phenomenon occurred during extension or flexion “.
The study participants with trigger fingers were significantly older than those without, with a longer duration of diabetes, poorer blood sugar control and more microvascular complications. During an average follow-up period of 5.7 years, the rate of CVD incidents was 13.0% compared to only 3.2%.
“The trigger finger is well known and its diagnosis is relatively simple and non-invasive,” write the researchers from BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care.
But they say that these and other manifestations of the “diabetic hand” “are often ignored in the clinical setting.”
The team concludes, “Doctors need to be aware of the prevalence of trigger fingers as these are associated with a higher incidence of CVD.”
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BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care 2021; 9: e002070
