Efficiency of Bimanual Hand Coordination among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Adults: A Case-control Study

Introduction: Distal Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN), which first affects the lower limbs and then the upper limbs, is one of the common complications of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). In addition to DPN, diabetic patients have lower muscle quality than non diabetic patients, which is exacerbated by longer duration of diabetes and poor glycaemic control. Diabetic induced peripheral neuropathy and changes in the muscle strength may interfere with bimanual coordination, which refers to a wide range of situations in which the brain must control multiple movements at the same time such as performing a task with two hands.

Aim: To assess and compare Efficiency Index (EI) of bimanual coordination in T2DM and controls.

Materials and Methods: This case-control study was conducted conducted in the Department of Physiology at Shri RL Jalapa Hospital, Kolar, Karnataka, India, from August 2019 to September 2019. The study included 50 participants, 25 with T2DM and 25 age matched controls. The bimanual hand coordination test apparatus was used to assess the efficiency of bimanual hand coordination. The data obtained was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0.

Results: The mean age of the study participants was 57.16±9.54 years and controls was 54.15±5.52 years and were age matched with p-value >0.426. Mean HbA1C of the cases was 8.36±1.88 mmol/mol. There was significant decrease in efficiency of bimanual coordination among type 2 diabetics as compared to non diabetics (p-value <0.001).

Conclusion: The findings of the present study showed a decrease in bimanual coordination efficiency among diabetics, indicating the importance of performing hand function tests in T2DM alongside other routine examinations.