Effect of diabetes and diabetes complications on hand dexterity and quality of life – a quantitative study

Abstract

Introduction. Diabetes and diabetes complications can cause many symptoms impairing the patient's mobility and cause difficulties in performing daily activities. Objective. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of diabetes and diabetes complications on hand dexterity and quality of life in a group of patients in their place of residence. Materials and Method. The studied group consisted of 100 people with diabetes-47 women (47%) and 53 men (53%). The respondents were patients at the Non-Public Health Care Centre of Environmental and Family Nursing in Bialystok, northeast Poland. The study used questionnaires pertaining to disabilities of the upper limbs: QuickDASH, and SF-36v2 Health Survey. Results. Significant, inversely proportional correlations between the results of the QuickDASH and the general results of the SF-36v2 Health Survey were shown, which means that the correlation coefficient r =-0.847 and the quality of life results in PCS (physical component summery) and MCS (mental component summery), the correlation coefficients were r =-0.489 and r =-0.842, respectively. The greater the disability in hand dexterity was, the lower the quality of life in the physical and mental health domains. Existence of one complication did not significantly affect the outcome of the QuickDASH, while the occurrence of two or three complications had a significant impact on this result (p <0.05). Conclusions. Patients' quality of life declines significantly when two or more complications occur, both in the physical and mental domains. Older age groups reported worse sensing within the hands. Patients with comorbidities assessed their quality of life considerably worse.