Poor hand function in diabetics. Its causes and effects on the quality of life.

OBJECTIVES: To find the possible causes of limited hand functions, and to investigate the subjective evaluation of hand functioning in patients with diabetes and its impact on the quality of life (QoL) in the physical and mental dimensions.

METHODS: This study was conducted on 71 patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes attending the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Internal Diseases, Medical University of Bialystok, Poland from March to December 2009. Median nerve conduction and a questionnaire survey (Acceptance of Illness Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, functional capacity, and QoL SF-36v2 and Quality of Life Index) were employed for this study.

RESULTS: Patients with damaged distal latency in the right (p=0.05) and left hand (p=0.004) had difficulty lifting objects. The QoL in relation to health (SF-36v2) and Quality of Life Index in patients with hand dysfunctions were significantly statistically lower compared with patients not experiencing these symptoms. These disorders also had a significant negative impact on Acceptance of Illness Scale, the incidence of depressive symptoms (p=0.001), and the patient's functional status (p=0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Impaired hand function affects lower acceptance of the disease, the occurrence of depression, and reduces patient's QoL.