Is There an Arthritis-Diabetes Connection?

Is there a relationship between arthritis and diabetes?

One way to learn more about possible links between the diseases is to read "Arthritis and Diabetes," a 12-page brochure recently released by The Arthritis Foundation.

This pamphlet is “important because of the number of people in the United States with both diseases,” said Jenny Conder, Director of Health Promotions for the Indiana Chapter. “The medical community has just started to emphasize this problem, and more should be done to make people aware of how they can keep both conditions under control.”

According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) researchers, almost half of people in the United States with arthritis also suffer from diabetes – 46 million adults in the U.S. have doctor-diagnosed arthritis, and 21 million of those adults also have diabetes. Arthritis and diabetes are not directly related, but the diseases often overlap through the musculoskeletal system, the organ system that gives humans the ability to physically move by using the muscles and skeletal system. Diabetes causes musculoskeletal changes that lead to joint pain and stiffness, swelling, nodules under the skin, and other arthritic symptoms.

According to an article from WebMD, arthritis gives people with diabetes a new reason to exercise, but it also creates new barriers to physical activity. Physical inactivity is a detriment to both arthritis and diabetes, and being overweight or obese only increases the likelihood of worsening both arthritis and diabetes. Arthritis Foundation exercise and aquatic programs provide moderate aerobic exercise that is friendly to arthritic joints and also physical activity adequate for the control of diabetes. For more information on our exericese and acquatics programs, please contact Ms. Conder at jconder@arthritis.org or 317-879-0321 x 200.

In addition to awareness of exercise methods that suit both arthritis and diabetes, it is important for patients to be aware of interaction of medications. According to an article written by Dr. Thomas Pressly, patients who do develop arthritis as a result of or simultaneously with diabetes have many treatment options such as exercise programs, rest and attention to foot care including proper shoes, and prompt treatment of bones and related structures. Dr. Pressly recommends contacting the Arthritis Foundation, American Diabetes Association, and your doctor with questions for appropriate treatment of both arthritis and diabetes.