Introduction: Diabetes is a disease that encompasses several groups of metabolic disorders, the common feature of which is chronic hyperglycaemia. The most common type of diabetes is type 2, which affects about 90% of patients. Type 2 diabetes generally develops later in life, usually after the age of 45. This form of the disease mainly affects people who are overweight due to an unbalanced diet and lack of physical activity. Diabetics often experience musculoskeletal problems that can develop into musculoskeletal disorders affecting bones, muscles, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, joint membranes and other connective tissue, causing pain and reduced mobility and functionality of the body. Purpose: The aim of the work was to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal problems in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who live in the municipality of Metlika and are members of the Metlika Diabetic Society. Methods: The Expanded Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used to collect data on the prevalence of musculoskeletal problems in a sample of 50 people with diabetes and 50 people without diabetes. Data processing was performed using Student's t-test, chi-square test and Mann-Whitney test with a statistical significance of p ⡤ 0.05. Results: A higher prevalence of musculoskeletal problems was found in the group with diabetes (100%) than in the group without diabetes (86%). The most common musculoskeletal problems in the diabetic group were neck problems (64%) and lower back problems in the non-diabetic group (36%). The first problems occurred at different ages in the different areas. Discussion and conclusion: The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was higher in the samples analysed compared to similar studies. With the extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, screening of diabetic patients is possible, allowing faster detection and appropriate interventions to reduce the prevalence of their musculoskeletal disorders. The research findings provide a broader but less specific insight into the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in diabetic patients.
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