This study investigated the association of de Quervain tenosynovitis (DQT) with subsequent adhesive capsulitis (AC) development. Patients with DQT between 2001 and 2017 from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database were the DQT cohort. The 1:1 propensity score matching method was applied for creating control cohort. The primary outcome was defined as new-onset of AC at least 1 year after the date of confirmed diagnosis of DQT. In total, 32,048 patients with mean age 45.3 years were included. DQT was significantly positively associated with risk of new-onset AC after adjustment for baseline characteristics. Furthermore, severe DQT requiring rehabilitation was positively associated with risk of new-onset AC. In addition, male gender and age under 40 may be additional risk factors for new-onset AC, compared to female gender and age over 40. Cumulative incidence of AC after 17 years was 24.1% among patients with severe DQT requiring rehabilitation and was 20.8% among patients with DQT without rehabilitation. This is the first population-based study to demonstrate an association between DQT and new-onset AC. The findings recommend that preventive occupational therapy, including active modification for the shoulder joint and adjustments to daily activities, may be necessary for patients with DQT to reduce their risk of developing AC.
Keywords: adhesive capsulitis of shoulder; de Quervain tenosynovitis; nationwide cohort database; occupational therapy; rehabilitation.