Hyperlipidemia may be associated with greater risk of stenosing tenosynovitis

1. In a large Taiwanese cohort, it was found that patients with hyperlipidemia had higher risk of developing stenosing tenosynovitis, otherwise known as trigger finger, compared to controls. 

Trigger finger, also referred to as stenosing tenosynovitis, is a common condition in those aged 50 to 60 years. The disease is characterized by pain and locking of fingers, particularly the thumb and fourth finger. The etiology of trigger finger is poorly understood, with female sex, obesity, carpal tunnel syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis being reported as possible risk factors. National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan was used to identify and evaluate a cohort of  41,421 patients with hyperlipidemia (mean age 49.49 years) and 82,842 controls (mean age 49.90 years) to investigate the association between hyperlipidemia and trigger finger. Baseline demographic characteristics, namely distribution of urbanization, distribution of insurance amounts, and comorbidities, significantly differed between the two groups. The incidence of trigger finger was 24.62 per 10,000 person-years in the hyperlipidemia cohort and 6.37 per 10,000 person-years in the control cohort. After adjusting for confounders, the hyperlipidemia cohort had a significantly higher adjusted HR for trigger finger (4.03; 95% CI, 3.57–4.55; P < 0.001) compared with the control. Sex stratification demonstrated trigger finger adjusted HRs of 4.59 (95% CI, 3.67–5.73; P < 0.001) for males and 3.77 (95% CI, 3.26–4.36; P < 0.001) for females in the hyperlipidemia cohort. Overall, this study demonstrates that individuals with hyperlipidemia are at an increased risk of developing trigger finger, even after accounting for disparities in comorbidities. Therefore, metabolic screening for patients with trigger finger could facilitate early detection and management of hyperlipidemia, which is often clinically silent for years. 

Click to read the study in PLOSONE

Image: PD

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