Sonographic Assessment of Supraspinatus Tendon Thickness in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the thickness of the supraspinatus tendon (SST) in participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) with normal healthy individuals. Materials and Methods: There were 80 participants enrolled in the study, with type 2 DM and 80 participants served as a control group. The supraspinatus tendon thickness (SSTT) was assessed using gray-scale ultrasonography. Results: The mean SSTT was significantly higher in the DM group than the control group, on the dominant and non-dominant shoulders (6.82 ± 1.23 vs 4.78 ± 0.64 mm; t test = 13.64, p < .001 and 6.86 ± 1.33 vs 4.69 ± 0.49 mm; t test = 14.10, p < .001). Dominant and non-dominant shoulder SSTT in the DM participants significantly correlated with age ( r = −0.229 and r = −0.301, p < .05) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c; r = 0.753 and r = 0.468, p < .05). HbA1c significantly correlated with SSTT on both shoulders in the control group ( r = 0.256 and r = 0.297, p < .05). Conclusion: In this cohort, the SSTT was significantly greater for those with DM than those non-diabetic individuals, and in the DM group, it was significantly associated with young age and increase in HbA1c. Sonographic evaluation of SSTT may be a useful diagnostic tool to determine tendinopathy in DM patients, in the absence of shoulder pain.