Prevalence and factors associated with shoulder pain among diabetic patients and menopausal women: evidence from the China health and retirement longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND

Shoulder pain is highly prevalent among diabetic and menopausal women, yet evidence on contributing factors in these high-risk groups is limited. In this study, the prevalence and associated clinical and lifestyle factors in both populations were analysed using large, nationally representative datasets.

METHODS

The data for this study were obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, which used a multistage sampling design. A total of 21,095 participants were initially recruited, after which strict inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to ensure data quality. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05. Both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with shoulder pain among diabetic patients and menopausal women.

RESULTS

The diabetes analysis included 12,214 individuals: 10,009 without diabetes and 2205 with diabetes. The menopausal analysis included 5535 women: 864 non-menopausal women and 4671 menopausal women. The prevalence of shoulder pain was 17.4% among diabetic patients and 14.1% among non-diabetic participants (P < 0.001), and 20.4% among menopausal women and 15.5% among non-menopausal women (P = 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that shoulder pain in diabetic patients was significantly associated with female sex (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.53-2.61), residency in a village (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.13-1.89), sleep time (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.79-0.88), and white blood cell count (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02-1.14). In menopausal women, significant factors included residency in a village (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.02-1.43), sleep time (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.78-0.84), white blood cell count (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.10), and C-reactive protein level (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03).

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed that shoulder pain is more prevalent among diabetic patients than among non-diabetic participants, and is more common among menopausal women than among non-menopausal women. Shoulder pain in diabetic patients and menopausal women is influenced by factors such as the living environment, sleep duration, and inflammatory markers. Notably, longer sleep duration appears to have a protective effect, and lifestyle factors and inflammatory status play important roles in the development of shoulder pain in these high-risk populations.