High blood glucose and shoulder pain in middle-aged and older Chinese adults: a secondary analysis of the China health and retirement longitudinal study (CHARLS)

Using nationally representative data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), in this study, we examined cross-sectional and retrospective cohort study associations between blood glucose status and shoulder pain in middle-aged and older Chinese adults. A total of 13,523 participants aged ≥ 45 years were included in the cross-sectional analysis and classified into high or normal blood glucose groups. A total of 8,440 participants without shoulder pain were recruited from the CHARLS at baseline in 2011 were followed up in 2015. The prevalence of shoulder pain was 13.0% in the overall population, with an increased prevalence of 18.0% among individuals with high blood glucose. High blood glucose was significantly associated with shoulder pain, with an odds ratio = 1.41 (95% CI 1.15-1.73). Over 4 years, 996 new cases of shoulder pain were identified, and high blood glucose increased risk with an odds ratio = 1.58 (95% CI 1.20-2.07). High blood glucose is a risk factor for shoulder pain, supporting the importance of blood sugar control to reduce shoulder pain among patients with high blood glucose in middle-aged and older Chinese adults.