Living With Arthritis and Type 1 Diabetes.
How to live with Diabetes and Arthritis.
Diabetes.
Diabetes is a severe condition that attacks children as well as adults. The condition occurs when your glucose levels which are in the blood, become unhealthy. Glucose is a type of sugar we rely on as our primary energy source. Glucose comes from the food that you eat, also carbohydrate foods.
In a healthy body, insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas. Insulin helps convert glucose into energy sent to cells throughout the body.
Sometimes the insulin slows or stops working, or the body does not use it effectively. If this happens, the glucose builds up in your bloodstream and can not reach the cells. Therefore, no energy supply will reach the cells, meaning they will struggle to work correctly.
In a healthy body, the glucose reabsorbs as it goes through the kidneys. However, if the blood glucose level is high, the kidneys could struggle to regain the glucose, which means the body is making more urine. Therefore, the early symptoms of diabetes are thirst and needing to urinate more.
But, if the blood sugar level goes unmanaged, it can lead to more severe symptoms, such as nerve damage and heart and lung problems. Also, it could lead to blindness, to name but a few.
Arthritis.
Arthritis can affect children as well as adults and mainly affects the joints. You will find that there are two main types of arthritis. The two are Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
The most common is Osteoarthritis, which attacks the joints’ cartilage through wear and tear—leading to pain and stiffness. When the lining of the cartilage starts to get rough and thin, the tendons and ligaments have to work harder; this could lead to no more cartilage and the bones rubbing together, causing the joints to get out of normal position.
Osteoarthritis commonly affects the hands, spine, knees and hips. But in the long term, it can travel over the body into the shoulders and elbows; in other words, you may have OA if there is a joint.
Rheumatoid arthritis attacks the joints first, but RA attacks the outer covering of the joints called synovium, which leads to pain and swelling.
But rheumatoid arthritis also attacks the immune system, with people developing problems with the tissues and organs such as the kidney.
Arthritis V Diabetes.
Both arthritis and diabetes have things in common. For example, about 47% of adults with diabetes also have arthritis, and 61% of adults with arthritis are at a higher risk of getting diabetes than people without arthritis.
The links include inflammation and genetics; they both have risk factors of obesity and no activity.
Inflammaiton-Control.
A study has found that people with autoimmune arthritis use drugs like methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine or inhibitors to help with the inflammation. It also improves blood sugar control. These may reduce developing diabetes for those with inflammatory disease.
Problems with Steroids.
You should be aware that other drugs used to calm arthritis inflammation has the opposite effect.
For example, steroids such as prednisone increase blood sugar levels by stimulating your liver which releases more glucose, slowing the movement in your muscle and fatty tissues.
Whereas drugs that are DMARD, such as Plaquenil and Orencia, reduce blood sugar. High dosages of steroid and a more prolonged use increases blood sugar.
The two main types of arthritis are Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis, or (OA) is the most common arthritis. It’s caused by damaging your joints if you fall and could also be brought on by obesity.
If you get Osteoarthritis, you may get type 2 diabetes as they both affect older adults, overweight and inactive people.
Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis — is an autoimmune disease which mistakenly attacks and destroys the lining of the joints. As a result, RA causes the joints like your hands, wrists and feet to swell, is painful and challenging to move your joints.
Whereas the OA is caused by injury, the RA is caused by several things:
• Genetics
• Smoking has an increased risk.
• And women are more likely to get RA.
AND GOUT — You may not know, but gout is a type of arthritis caused by high uric acid levels, forming crystals in and around the joints, leading to redness and swollen and painful joints.
Symptoms can come and go. Some have regular episodes, whereas others may have gout separated by years.
Artritis and Diabetes.
Researchers have found that people with type 1 diabetes are more likely to have RA. However, they have also found that different types of arthritis may be familiar with people having certain types of diabetes.
If you have type 2 diabetes, you may have a high risk of developing Osteoarthritis, OA and gout. You are also at an increased risk of type 2 if you are obese.
People with type 1 diabetes have a higher risk of getting RA.
Links Between Arthritis and Type 1 and 2 diabetes.
Arthritis and diabetes are two different conditions, but one can lead to the other.
Both arthritis and diabetes are autoimmune conditions.
It’s where the immune system malfunctions and starts attacking your cells. For example, inflammatory arthritis attacks the surrounding tissues of the joints.
Type 1 diabetes attacks the cells that you have in the pancreas. So, when you have one condition, you have an increased risk of getting others.
Bad Lifestyle.
Both diseases, arthritis and diabetes, lead to being less mobile, therefore, may lead to obesity. Being obese can contribute to being immobile. Being obese and not exercising can cause strain on your joint and can lead to OA and contributes to gout.
It can also work the reverse; diabetes can lead to long-term musculoskeletal changes. This can cause joint pain, stiffness, trigger finger and diabetic hand syndrome.
Diabetic stiff hand syndrome is when your finger movement becomes limited as the hands become waxy and thickened. Both type 1 and 2 diabetes could be affected. To help this, you need to start physical therapy, which may slow down the condition.
Medication for Diabetes.
Diabetic medication, such as statins and corticosteroids (cortisone prednisolone), can increase blood glucose levels. But taken over a long time, especially in high doses, it can cause drug-induced diabetes. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing when and if this may occur.
People with autoimmune diseases also rely on cortisone to help them manage symptoms. But unfortunately, it’s difficult to find the lowest doses of cortisone over a short period.
Being on this drug for years may affect your blood sugar long-term.
Some cases of diabetic symptoms may go away if the medication is reduced or finished. However, it may cause people to develop type 2 diabetes permanently.
Medication for Arthritis.
When you develop arthritis, you may be prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs are used to relieve pain and inflammation by blocking hormones.
NSAIDs could increase the chances of having heart attacks, strokes, or stomach bleeding. You can get the following NSAIDs over the counter:
· Naproxen.
· Aspirin.
· Ibuprofen.
Others, such as indomethacin and celecoxib, are required on prescription.
Also, you may be taking disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) to slow or stop the inflammation of arthritis joints.
Or you may be prescribed:
Corticosteroids.
Biologics.
And targeted DMARDs.
Conclusion.
Arthritis and diabetes are both related to weight control, diet and exercise.
The first one to try and control is for you to lose weight. An increase in weight will contribute to insulin resistance, putting more strain on your joints. On the other hand, a moderate amount of weight loss will help the pressure on your hips, knees and feet and reduce your blood sugar level.
You must eat regularly and consistently to help you maintain a steady blood glucose level. It would help if you ate protein and healthy fats every mealtime; the best diet is the Mediterranean Diet.
And finally, exercises — you should do at least 2 ½ hours a week of gentle swimming, walking, etc… it will get your strength back, flexibility, and balance. When you are not used to exercises, start gently, and go to the doctor to see if you can do a program with a physical therapist.
I am not a medical professional, and the information in this article is for information only. Always consult your doctor if you have any worries.
I hope this has helped you, and good luck.
Linda.
