Modifying Risk Factors: Strategies That Work Diabetes Mellitus

An estimated 29.1 million Americans are currently diagnosed with diabetes, and this number is expected to increase to 48.3 million Americans by 2050. Correspondingly, the present burden of diabetes among patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty is significant and rising. Diabetes as a chronic condition is a well-established risk factor for complication after total joint arthroplasty. A growing body of evidence also indicates that hyperglycemia in the perioperative period, and not the diagnosis of diabetes alone, is similarly associated with increased complication risk. As a result, a coordinated approach to preoperative screening and optimization, combined with judicious perioperative glycemic control, may present an opportunity to improve outcomes, reduce complications, and avoid complication-related costs for patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty.