Those with psoriatic arthritis, a form of arthritis that affects some people who have the skin condition psoriasis may have an increased risk for Type 2 diabetes, according to researchers in the U.K.
The population-based study identified a 50 percent increase and 40 percent increased risk of Type 2 diabetes among an incident cohort of psoriatic arthritis patients compared with patients with psoriasis and those in the general population, respectively, according to researchers.
What Did the Study Involve?
Researchers identified 6,783 patients between the ages of 18–89 years with a new diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis.
They matched the patients in two randomly selected groups: The first was a general population cohort with no psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis or other inflammatory problems, and the second was a psoriasis group with no diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis or other inflammatory issues.
All groups were similar in age and sex. They were monitored for development of Type 2 diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, ischemic heart disease or peripheral vascular disease.
The Results
Researchers found the incidence of Type 2 diabetes was significantly higher in the group with psoriatic arthritis compared with the general population and the psoriasis group.
They also found a 29 percent increase in the risk of the combined cardiovascular diseases, a 27 percent increase in the risk of ischemic heart disease, and a 40 percent increase in the risk of peripheral vascular disease in psoriatic arthritis patients compared with the general population after taking into account other potential risk factors.
Researchers also acknowledge the limitations of their study including insufficient follow-up time and lack of data on psoriatic arthritis disease activity and treatment.
Conclusion
The researchers conclude the association between psoriatic arthritis and diabetes is not clear, although they suggest other factors influencing inflammation burden associated with arthritis, diet, microbiome or genetic factors may play a role.
The National Institute for Health Research provided funding for this study. The study is published in Rheumatology.