Additive Effects of Diabetes and Lower‐Limb Amputation on Osteoarthritis with Comparison to Diabetic and Healthy Controls

Abstract

Individuals with type II diabetes and individuals with lower‐limb amputation each have increased risks of developing osteoarthritis compared to the general population. Despite the high co‐occurrence of type II diabetes with lower‐limb amputations, the additive effects of these conditions are unclear. In order to better manage the risk of developing osteoarthritis in these populations, a better understanding of how diabetes and amputation might compound osteoarthritis risk is needed.We measured hip and knee joint space, as indicators of osteoarthritis, in four groups of individuals: 1) lower‐limb amputees with diabetes, 2) lower‐limb amputees without diabetes 3) diabetic controls, and 4) healthy controls. We hypothesized lower‐limb amputees with diabetes would have the most impaired musculoskeletal health, followed by amputees without diabetes, diabetic controls, then healthy controls.30 total CT scans of males (42‐79 years; BMI 19.7 ‐ 48.9 kg/m2) were obtained from the New Mexico Decedent Image Database. 10 scans were identified for amputees, diabetic controls, and healthy controls. Half of the lower‐limb amputees had diabetes while half did not, to differentiate effects of diabetes and amputation on musculoskeletal health. 3D Slicer software was used to measure hip and knee joint spaces as indicators of osteoarthritis. Comparisons between groups were assessed using Kruskal‐Wallis with Dunn’s post hoc tests.Amputees with and without diabetes showed significantly narrower hip (p=0.01) and knee (p=0.08) joint space bilaterally compared to diabetic and healthy controls. This result suggests amputees could be at a higher risk of developing lower‐limb osteoarthritis compared to diabetic and healthy individuals, which is in line with prior work demonstrating the prevalence of osteoarthritis in the amputee population.In agreement with our hypothesis, box plots showed trends of amputees with diabetes having the most narrowed joint space, followed by amputees without diabetes, then diabetic controls, and healthy controls. While not statistically significant, these trends suggest amputees with diabetes are at increased risk of developing osteoarthritis compared to amputees without diabetes. Perhaps the aggressive management of blood glucose and post‐amputation physiotherapy treatments could help reduce joint deterioration in these patients. Future work will focus on increasing sample size to assess if these findings are generalizable to a larger population.Increased risks of osteoarthritis can lead to pain, limited mobility, and decreased quality of life. This study can potentially inform clinical standards of care for patients with amputations. Earlier interventions such as proactive musculoskeletal screenings and targeted exercises may reduce risks of developing osteoarthritis, leading to improved clinical outcomes.