Been diagnosed with PsA about 3 years ago. They have not been able to get it under control. Now during a routine physical & having blood work done my fasting glucose level was 118. Will see my doctor on the 17th for more blood work.........just wondering what the connection is between diabetes & PsA??
The risk of getting diabetes is something like 40% higher in people with PsA than in healthy people. I'm not sure that the medical community has a concrete answer as to why. I have pre-diabetes (and PsA, and AS, and celiac, and thyroid and liver issues...), which could be due to a combination of my medical problems and my weight (and inability to lose weight). We're keeping an eye on it, and I'm modifying my diet even more so that it looks more like a diabetic diet - and hoping to control it that way.
I was reading that some think that the medications used for PsA can cause the diabetes. I had no diabetes issues. Started on enbrel 3 months ago & it wasn't helping so my doc told me to stop it till my next appointment the end of this month. I also have AS, high blood pressure, Hashimotos Thyroiditis, & Sjogrens Syndrome. I will have follow up blood work next week & I guess we will take it from there. But thanks for the reply. Thought I knew all there was to PsA.........best of luck to you.
How interesting, Elizabeth and Nym. For ten years, my weight and appetite was out of control, at the same time that I had painful and fast-deteriorating knees from what they said was "osteoarthritis". I felt generally crummy, and two knee replacements stopped the pain but I still didn't feel great. Two years ago, doc warned that it looked as if I was heading to diabetes land. Her prescription was the usual: eat less, exercise more. I made a decision to go low-carb, and saw a big improvement in both how I felt and in my bloodwork (sugars, LDL, triglicerides, etc). I also lost a good amount of weight. Still, things weren't right, and I developed mysterious foot pain. Finally, x-rays showed a problem and I went to a rheumatologist who diagnosed PsA.
My rheumatologist suspects that my "osteo" was actually PsA. Now I'm suspecting that my weight and metabolic issues are somehow connected with PsA too, especially given what I'm reading here. That would suggest that I've had PsA for at least ten years.
Can I ask what you've done to try to get your PsA under control? Six months of methotrexate, and the addition of of sulfasalazine and hydroxychloroquine for the last three months haven't done me any good so far.
Seenie
My PsA and AS are partially controlled by Enbrel. My rheumy would really like me on mtx as well, but my liver isn't cooperating. Two of my docs think one of the reasons I can't lose weight is the combo of stuff I have going on joining forces to keep the weight on.
Enbrel didn't work for me. Don't know what my doc will put me on next. My PsA is still no under control. Best of luck nym & seenie. Keep in touch & let me know how you are doing.
I have diabetes and have just had my metformin dosage raised to 1000mg twice dly. I also have Meniere's Disease, underactive thyroid, HBP, PsA, anemia (which is under control since IV iron infusions), Colitis, migrains, and anxiety. I really don't have psoriasis that bad but my older brother had a severe case of psoriasis and arthritis and was studied on at one of the Colleges of Medicine. He passed away at the age of 47. He also had a leg amputated because of PAD at one of the veteran's hospitals where he also received a blood transfusion and got Hep C from bad blood (circa 1983 before testing was done). He also had his stump xrayed only to find out they left a broken needle in his stump. His psoriasis covered his entire body other than his face. His scalp was completely full of it and I would give him hot oil cap treatments just to loosen the crust which was like a frosting cap (before foiling) coming off his scalp. He was on MTX . I tried Plaquenil but it gave me psoriasis on my head and it felt as if I had lumps (I called them horns) on my head. I quit taking the Plaquenil and it immediately went away. My problem is my platelet level stays low but is up to 138 at the moment which my hematologist is happy with so I guess I'm doing well. I'm hoping the Enbrel will help once they get me started on it. As yet, I'm still injecting with Humira. Thanks for listening! Mom of 2
Actually, I 'd bet on the Hashimotos before the PsA meds:
http://journal.diabetes.org/clinicaldiabetes/v18n12000/pg38.htm
Actually there is another connection to the diabetes and thyroid as well as PsA. As you know many of us also suffer gut problems. Gluten being a real aggravator. My wife wife SIL and BIL ALL have hasimotos. All three (in three different parts
of the country have been put on gluten free diets. All three have had markedly better blood work. My wifes blood sugar droped significantly (she was up there) but that might be because of her reduced carb intake. Heres one article, thete are hundreds more:
I had a colonoscopy and the scope down the throat thinking I had Celiac Disease. The results were inconclusive so I was sent to a hematologist. I had bloodwork done and it showed that I was very anemic. I needed IV iron therapy ASAP which they started that day. After they got my anemia under control, I had to have a bone marrow biopsy and when I got the results back they had also checked for Celiac Disease but the biopsy indicated that I didn't have it. Thanks for all of your input.
Dear Mom of 2,
I'm so sorry about the loss of your brother. It sounds as if you did so much to help him and make his life more comfortable. He was very fortunate to have you for a sister.
I'm sorry that you're going through so much yourself. I hope that things will resolve for you soon and that you will be feeling much better.
Please take good care of yourself.
Mom of 2 said:
I had a colonoscopy and the scope down the throat thinking I had Celiac Disease. The results were inconclusive so I was sent to a hematologist. I had bloodwork done and it showed that I was very anemic. I needed IV iron therapy ASAP which they started that day. After they got my anemia under control, I had to have a bone marrow biopsy and when I got the results back they had also checked for Celiac Disease but the biopsy indicated that I didn't have it. Thanks for all of your input.
Thank you. I miss him terribly but he went through much that it would be selfish of me to want to keep him here with me. His PsA was severe as was the arthritis that went along with the psoriasis. His hands were so deformed but he still managed to keep his sense of humor but I don't know how. He showed me different ways of doing things to manage for myself as he knew I was probably headed for the same outlook but he didn't go to a doctor right away with his and he made me promise that I would go when it reached a certain point in time which I did. I miss him dearly.
Thanks, Gardener, for your kind words.
Mom of 2