Abstract
Objectives: Although acupuncture is often advocated for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), its efficacy for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a common metabolic disease among RA cohorts, has not yet been established. This retrospective cohort study aimed to determine the association between acupuncture use and the development of T2DM among them.Methods: Data were collected from 1999 through 2008 for individuals aged 20–70 years in the nationwide insurance database of Taiwan. From them, we extracted 4,941 subjects within newly diagnosed RA and being T2DM free at baseline. A total of 2,237 patients had ever received acupuncture, and 2,704 patients without receiving acupuncture were designated as a control group. All of them were followed to the end of 2013 to identify T2DM incidence. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was utilized to obtain the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for acupuncture use.Results: Compared with the RA subjects without use of acupuncture, the incidence of T2DM was lower for those who received acupuncture, with the incidence rates of 24.50 and 18.00 per 1,000 person-years (PYs), respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, use of acupuncture was significantly related to the lower T2DM risk, with the adjusted HR of 0.73 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.65–0.86]. Those who used acupuncture for more than five sessions had the greatest benefit in lowering the susceptibility to T2DM.Conclusion: Adding acupuncture into conventional treatment for RA was found to be related to lower risk of T2DM among RA patients. Further clinical and mechanistic studies are warranted.
Highlights
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease that affects about 1% of the population worldwide, with many patients developing progressive functional limitations and physical disability [1]
After adjusting for potential confounders, use of acupuncture was significantly related to the lower type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk, with the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 0.73 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.65–0.86]
Adding acupuncture into conventional treatment for RA was found to be related to lower risk of T2DM among RA patients
Summary
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease that affects about 1% of the population worldwide, with many patients developing progressive functional limitations and physical disability [1]. A recent study by Birnbaum and co-workers noted that the total annual cost of RA in the US was around $19.3 billion, and adding the intangible costs of quality-of-life deterioration ($10.3 billion) and premature mortality ($9.6 billion), the total annual societal costs of RA (direct, indirect, and intangible) would rise to nearly $40 billion [3]. It is well-known that RA may trigger a number of crippling comorbidities in addition to the enormous economic burdens. The known risk of cardiovascular comorbidity for RA patients may be implicated in their susceptibility to T2DM
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
