Association of type 2 diabetes and osteoarthritis: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Abstract

An association between type 2 diabetes and osteoarthritis has been postulated. The present umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses investigated possible bidirectional relationships between type 2 diabetes and osteoarthritis. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were accessed. All the available systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the relationship between type 2 diabetes and osteoarthritis were accessed. The odds ratio (OR) effect measure and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used for the statistical analyses. Four systematic reviews, of whom three meta-analyses, were considered. Data from 26209 patients with osteoarthritis were considered: 3530 with type 2 diabetes and 22679 without type 2 diabetes. A significantly increased rate of osteoarthritis was evidenced in patients with type 2 diabetes than in patients without it (OR = 1.43; 95% CI 1.01 to 2.02). The effect persisted after in the subgroups age, sex, and obesity (pooled adjusted OR = 1.22; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.42). Patients with type 2 diabetes might present an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis.