Higher fasting plasma glucose levels within the normoglycaemic range and rotator cuff tears

<jats:sec><jats:title>Objective:</jats:title><jats:p>To determine the plasma glucose levels in non-diabetic patients with rotator cuff tear.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Design:</jats:title><jats:p>Frequency-matched case–control study.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Setting:</jats:title><jats:p>University Teaching Hospital.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Participants:</jats:title><jats:p>The study included 194 subjects who were operated on at our institution. Group 1 included 97 consecutive patients (36 men and 61 women; mean age: 62.9 years, range 37 to 82) who underwent arthroscopic repair of a rotator cuff tear in 2007 and 2008. Group 2 (control group) included 97 patients (36 men and 61 women; mean age: 61.6 years, range 36 to 80) who underwent arthroscopic meniscectomy for a meniscal tear in the same period, and had no evidence of shoulder pathology. These patients were frequency-matched by age (within 3 years) and gender with patients of Group 1.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Main outcome measure:</jats:title><jats:p>Measurement of fasting plasma glucose levels.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results:</jats:title><jats:p>Patients with rotator cuff tears (Group 1) showed statistically significantly higher fasting plasma glucose levels within the normoglycaemic range (p = 0.007) than patients with meniscal tear (Group 2).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions:</jats:title><jats:p>The present study suggests that normal, but in the high range of normal, increasing plasma glucose levels may be a risk factor for rotator cuff tear. An enhanced understanding of these factors holds the promise of new approaches to the prevention and management of rotator cuff tears.</jats:p></jats:sec>