Etiological factors and clinical profile of adhesive capsulitis in patients seen at the Rheumatology clinic of a tertiary care hospital in India

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to examine the clinical profile of patients with adhesive capsulitis (AC) and evaluate various possible etiological factors.

METHODS: The study was conducted in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, Kashmir, India. One hundred patients fulfilling the criteria for the diagnosis of AC were studied for the severity of shoulder pain and the range of shoulder movements. The patients were also examined for the presence of various etiological factors for AC.

RESULTS: Age of the subjects ranged from 25-70 years and duration of symptoms averaged 3.66 +/- 2.36 months; left shoulder was more commonly involved (54%), 2% had bilateral involvement and 63% of the subjects were sedentary workers. Disease was seen most commonly in patients with diabetes mellitus (27%). Other identifiable risk factors included previous myocardial infarction (5%), immobilization (5%), stroke and chronic bronchitis (4% each). Fifty-six percent of patients with AC had radiological evidence of cervical spondylosis.

CONCLUSION: We conclude that AC mostly affects people in the fifth to seventh decade. The majority of the affected individuals are sedentary at the time of the sickness and subjects with diabetes mellitus are at particular risk.