Rheumatic manifestations in diabetic patients

Diabetes mellitus (DM), a worldwide high prevalence disease, is associated with a large variety of rheumatic manifestations. For most of these affections, pathophysiologic correlations are not well established. Some of them, such as diabetic cheiroarthropathy, neuropathic arthritis, diabetic amyotrophy, diabetic muscle infraction, are considered intrinsic complications of DM. For others, like diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis or reflex sympathetic dystrophy, DM is considered a predisposing condition. In most cases, these affections cause pain and disability, affecting the quality of life of diabetic patients, but once correctly diagnosed, they often respond to the treatment, that generally requires a multidisciplinary team. This article reviews some epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of these conditions.