Abstract
Diabetes mellitus is associated with a wide variety of rheumatologic manifestations which can significantly affect a patient's quality of life. One of these manifestations includes diabetic cheiroarthropathy (DCA) which affects the hands. We review a case of a 28-year-old female patient with type 1 diabetes mellitus who was diagnosed with DCA after complaining of limited movements of all joints in her hands and tightening of the skin. We examine how the diagnosis was made, the treatment administered, and the successful clinical outcome. Clinicians should be able to identify and treat this affliction. The diagnosis is mainly clinical. It is imperative to remember that the presence of DCA carries with it a significant relationship with microvascular disease.
Highlights
The syndrome of limited joint mobility, diabetic sclerosis, pseudosclerodermatous hand of the diabetic, and diabetic stiff hand are some of the diagnostic terms used in the medical literature which refer to diabetic cheiroarthropathy (DCA)
Diabetic cheiroarthropathy occurs in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus
Our patient was placed on continuous glucose monitoring and subsequently her glycemic control improved
Summary
The syndrome of limited joint mobility, diabetic sclerosis, pseudosclerodermatous hand of the diabetic, and diabetic stiff hand are some of the diagnostic terms used in the medical literature which refer to diabetic cheiroarthropathy (DCA). It is usually characterized by painless limited extension of the proximal metacarpophalangeal joints and/or interphalangeal joints with spontaneous flexion of the fingers. There is decreased ability to fully flex or fully extend the fingers [1, 2]. A tight waxy skin surface over the dorsum of the hand usually completes the clinical picture [3]. Some DCA reports suggest an overall prevalence being quoted as 30% [1] while other studies give prevalence ranges from 8% to 50% [4, 5]
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