Metabolic characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis patients with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Objective To explore the metabolic characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and provide evidence for the management of cardiovascular risk factors. Methods One hundred and four RA patients with T2DM and 100 healthy subjects with matched age and sex were the subjects of study. The metabolic parameters of the two groups was compared and the ratio of metabolic abnormalities in RA with T2DM group was analyzed. Comparisons between groups were analyzed by t-test and Chi-square analysis. Results The average duration of RA and T2DM were (8±6) and (10±5) years respectively; 55.8% patients with CRP>10 mg/L and 72.1% patients with ESR>30 mm/1 h. There was no significant difference in body mass index between the two groups [(23.3±3.1) kg/m2vs (23.4±2.8) kg/m2, P= 0.991]. The systolic blood and diastolic blood pressures of RA patients with T2DM were significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in blood uric acid [(0.27±0.11) mmol/L vs (0.27±0.12) mmol/L, P =0.957]. There was no significant difference in the levels of total cholesterol (TC) [(4.6±1.0) mmol/L vs (4.5±0.5) mmol/L, P =0.547], but the levels of triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) [TG (1.4±0.8) mmol/L vs (1.1±0.3) mmol/L, t=2.871, P=0.005; HDL-C (1.1±0.3) mmol/L vs (1.5±0.4) mmol/L, t =-7.064, P<0.01; LDL-C (2.6±0.8) mmol/L vs (2.4±0.4) mmol/L, t=2.003, P=0.047] were significantly different in the two groups. 36.5% patients were with hypertension, 17.3% patients were with high TC, 30.7% patients were with high TG, 26.9% patients were with low HDL-C, and 27.8% patients were with high LDL-C. Conclusion High incidence of hypertension, poor blood sugar control, and lipid metabolism disorders are prominent metabolic disorders in RA patients with T2DM. Clinicians, particularly rheumatologists, need to give adequate attention to these conditions. Key words: Arthritis rheumatoid; Type 2 diabetes; Metabolic disorders