Limited joint mobility in diabetic children: a risk factor of diabetic complications?

Limited joint mobility (LJM) was detected in 24 of 55 children with type I diabetes. Among children with longer duration of diabetes (5 years) 15 of 25 had LJM. Ten of these 15 also had preclinical diabetic retinopathy. LJM, impaired respiratory function and early retinopathy together were detected in 8 patients. Three children had early retinopathy without LJM but two of them also had impaired respiratory function. The findings were not related to the degree of metabolic control. These results confirm the great importance of connective tissue changes in childhood diabetes with respect to the early development of diabetic microvascular disease.