OBSERVATIONS ON THE METABOLIC AND ANTIARTHRITIC EFFECTS OF ACTH AND CORTISONE IN DIABETICS

Abstract

3 patients with severe diabetes and active rheumatoid arthritis were studied under various regimens. Following the reduction of insulin and the consequent increase in the urinary excretion of glucose, nitrogen and ketones, no effect on the arthritis was observed. When treated with ACTH or cortisone, marked improvement in the arthritis occurred, irrespective of whether the manifestations of diabetes were exaggerated or controlled. These observations, which supplement the studies of others in nondiabetics, suggest that the effect of the adrenal hormones in rheumatoid arthritis is not closely correlated with the gross manifestations of their metabolic functions and therefore may be independent of these activities.