Flexor tenosynovitis (FTS): a risk indicator of abnormal glucose tolerance

Diabetes mellitus (DM), particularly of long duration and insulin dependent, can be accompanied by a variety of locomotor system disorders. However, musculo-skeletal syndromes can also appear in patients with mild glucose homeostasis disturbances. Sometimes these locomotor complaints may precede the diagnosis of the deranged glucose metabolism and hence give a clue to the underlying glucose homeostasis abnormality. In the present work, glucose metabolism was studied in 39 patients presenting with palmar flexor tenosynovitis (FTS) but without any other rheumatic manifestations. For comparison, glucose homeostasis was also studied in 44 patients with FTS accompanying rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the first group, 23% had an abnormal oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), a significantly increased frequency vis-à-vis the 4.5% found in the RA group and vis-à-vis the 5.4% reported for the general population. It is concluded that in the absence of any other rheumatic disease, FTS is a risk indicator of disturbed glucose metabolism and that a simple screening procedure for the purpose of disclosing glucose homeostasis abnormalities is warranted in patients presenting with FTS.