The Prevalence of Shoulder Pain and Its Functional Limitations Among Patients With Uncontrolled Diabetes

Objectives To investigate the prevalence of shoulder pain and its functional limitations among patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted over a period of four months from October 2019 to January 2020 and included all patients with uncontrolled DM (HbA1c > 9) who are visiting the diabetes clinic at Security Forces Hospital during the study period. Telephone interviews were held by a physician from the Family Medicine Department using a previously validated questionnaire, that is, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Evaluation Form. Results A total of 285 patients were included in the study; 156 (54.7%) were females and 129 (45.3%) were males. Most (51.1%) of the patients aged 45-64 years. The majority of the patients 58.9% had type II DM and 41.1% of them had type I DM. The mean HbA1c level was 10.56. Of the patients are having shoulder pain (109; 38.2%), 42.5% were between 45 and 64 years of age and 44.1% were between 65 and 96 of years. While 176 (61.8%) of the participants had no pain at all, 70.5% males and 54.5% females did not have shoulder pain (p<0.001). The mean shoulder pain intensity for all patients was 5.81(SD=3.21), ranging from 4.71 (SD=3.15) to 6.13 (SD=3.29), according to different age groups, and showed a significant correlation (p<0.05). Conclusions Increasing prevalence of shoulder dysfunction is making physicians alert regarding early diagnosis and management of the disease. Thus, it should be mandatory to include screening, prevention, and rehabilitation strategies for shoulder dysfunction in diabetic care programs to improve the daily lifestyle of the patients.