Juvenile SSc diagnosed in boy with type 1 diabetes and telltale hand issues.
by Andrea Lobo, PhD | October 4, 2022 The case of a 14-year-old boy with diabetes provided a starting point for a finding of juvenile systemic sclerosis (SSc): the limited joint mobility evident in the boy’s fingers can be an initial sign of underlying SSc, the report’s researchers suggested.

Although “the coexistence of diabetes with juvenile systemic sclerosis is rarely described … the association between [the two conditions] may be more than a coincidence, and could suggest a relationship between glucose metabolism, fibrosis and microangiopathy [small blood vessel disease],” the scientists, in Italy and Canada, wrote. The case report “Juvenile diabetes and systemic sclerosis: just a coincidence?” was published in the journal Pediatric Rheumatology.

The prevalence of limited joint mobility in adults with diabetes is estimated to range from 8% to 58% and to be around 7% in children with type 1 diabetes. About one-third of these children, especially those with moderate to severe diabetes, develop diabetic sclerodactyly, or a hardening of the skin on the hand that causes fingers to curl inward. This feature is also associated with limited joint mobility.

Diabetes at age 4, Raynaud’s phenomenon at age 12
The boy was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 4 years old and treated “without complication.” At age 12, Continue reading here.