The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 NewsACR Convergence
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
      • Psoriatic Arthritis
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / 6 Things Endocrinologists Want Rheumatologists to Know

6 Things Endocrinologists Want Rheumatologists to Know

May 17, 2018 • By Vanessa Caceres

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF
Rheumatologists need to contact the patient’s endocrinologist or primary care physician before starting glucocorticoids.

Rheumatologists need to contact the patient’s endocrinologist or primary care physician before starting glucocorticoids.
Piotr Adamowicz / shutterstock.com

In your daily contact with rheumatology patients, you likely come across several who have type 1 or 2 diabetes. Are you doing all you can to maximize their treatment?

You Might Also Like
  • Rheumatology Coding Corner Question: New Patient Prolonged Service Without Direct Patient Contact, Part 1
  • Type 1 Diabetes Often Comes with Other Autoimmune Diseases
  • Psoriasis May Carry Atherosclerosis Risk Similar to that with Diabetes
Explore This Issue
May 2018
Also By This Author
  • Study Finds CB-CAPs Could Be a Biomarker for Probable Lupus

Most physicians know about the damaging health effects of uncontrolled diabetes. From vision loss to kidney failure to nerve damage, those with diabetes require regular vigilance to minimize further health issues.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Because type 1 diabetes and many rheumatological health issues are autoimmune conditions, it’s not uncommon for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis to have co-existing diabetes. Endocrinologist Joshua Miller, MD, medical director of diabetes care for Stony Brook Medicine in Stony Brook, N.Y., always asks patients with diabetes about a family history of autoimmune disease, because this may lead to a higher risk for concurrent autoimmune problems, including those within rheumatology.

The development of type 2 diabetes often increases with age, as well as obesity or a family history of diabetes. The number of Americans with type 2 diabetes is rapidly growing (see sidebar, right).

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Endocrinologist Sofía E. Vasquez, MD, Tenet Florida Physician Services, Hialeah, Fla., estimates 25% of her patients have both diabetes and a rheumatological condition, particularly osteoarthritis or RA.

Endocrinologist Brenda M. Acosta, MD, Tenet Florida Physician Services, Doral, Fla., puts the estimate for her practice closer to 30%; conditions she sees most often include lupus, RA, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis and gout.

A study published this year that focused on diabetes among those with RA found a 20% prevalence.1 Older patients, males, those with a higher body mass index and those in a lower socioeconomic level had a greater chance of having diabetes. Cardiovascular disease, depression and renal failure also were more common in patients with both diseases.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Patients with both lupus and diabetes may be less commonly seen; some studies point to the protective role of hydroxychloroquine against diabetes mellitus, says rheumatologist Anca D. Askanase, MD, MPH, clinical director and founder of the Columbia University Lupus Center and associate professor of medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York.

To improve care for patients with these concurrent and chronic diseases, The Rheumatologist asked several endocrinologists and rheumatologists for their advice. Here are their pearls.

1. Communicate before you start a patient on steroids.

On a weekly basis, Dr. Miller has patients with concurrent rheumatological disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who get treated with a high dose of steroids. The patients’ blood sugars skyrocket between 300 and 600, and won’t budge. He sends them to the emergency department to get their blood sugar lowered. “It’s not an insignificant challenge that we face,” he says.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions Tagged With: collaboration, communication, diabetes, interdisciplinary, SteroidsIssue: May 2018

You Might Also Like:
  • Rheumatology Coding Corner Question: New Patient Prolonged Service Without Direct Patient Contact, Part 1
  • Type 1 Diabetes Often Comes with Other Autoimmune Diseases
  • Psoriasis May Carry Atherosclerosis Risk Similar to that with Diabetes
  • Can Rheumatologists Prescribe Exercise as Medicine?

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use / Cookie Preferences

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2023 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)