RA and diabetes are very different diseases. But if you have RA, it raises your risk for diabetes by about 50%. And diabetes raises your chances of having arthritis, including RA and arthritis-related issues, by about 20%. Experts aren’t sure what’s behind the link, but reasons might include:
Research suggests that some people tend to have more than one autoimmune disease. This may be partly due to genetics. And scientists have identified a gene that raises the risk for both type 1 diabetes and RA.
RA and type 1 diabetes are both autoimmune diseases. That’s when your body turns against itself and attacks healthy cells. RA attacks the joints. Type 1 diabetes targets the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that helps your body process blood sugar. Type 1 diabetes is typically diagnosed in children and young adults and makes up less than 5% of all diabetes cases.