Incidence, Prevalence, and Outcomes of Hand Manifestations in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus: A Comprehensive Literature Review

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that results in long-term hyperglycemia. Among the many long-term complications associated with diabetes, manifestations in the hand include Dupuytren’s contracture, trigger finger, compressive neuropathies, and infections. These conditions can have a profound impact on a patient’s quality of life, highlighting the importance of timely recognition and treatment of these manifestations. This review aims to provide updated information regarding the incidence and outcomes of these clinical manifestations in the diabetic versus nondiabetic population. A systematic review based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist was performed. The literature search included the use of PubMed and Ovid databases to find relevant articles that were then selected based on an inclusion criterion that required level 4 evidence. Diabetes mellitus results in an increased incidence of Dupuytren’s contracture, trigger finger, carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, and hand infections. Dupuytren’s, trigger finger, and carpal tunnel syndrome all had similar outcomes, while diabetic patients had worse outcomes related to infections. There was a lack of data regarding the effect of diabetes on cubital tunnel syndrome. Future studies should be performed to analyze the effects of diabetes mellitus on hand manifestations, particularly regarding the outcomes of diabetic patients with cubital tunnel syndrome.