• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

diabetes and osteoarthritis

R

randomlight

Newbie
Messages
2
I have a question regarding diabetes and osteoarthritis.
I have type 2 diabetes and take metformin twice a day.My last 3 month blood work indicated a blood sugar level of 7.3.

I have an osteoarthritis problem in my feet and am currently recieving disabillity payments from my work insurance program.

I am worried that the insurance company may say that my osteoarthritis is caused by my diabetes.If they could determine this it would give them cause to stop paying me as they could claim that my osteoarthritis was caused by a pre-existing medical condition (my diabetes).

Given the fact that my diabetes is not very severe I am highly doubtfull that this is the cause but am wondering if anyone knows how severe diabetes would have to be to induce osteoarthritis.I am very worried and any input would be greatly apprciated . thanks
 
Someone knowledgeable will come along and answer your specific question but I thought I'd say welcome and also make a comment. Which is that, since getting my hba1c blood scores down from 8.2 at dx 6 months ago to somewhere in the 5s at the last test, I have found my osteoarthritis significantly improved and you may want to try doing this at some point, irrespective of this particular issue with insurers, as it's your health that is at stake and a lower figure is considered better all round. You could do it gradually in a way that suits you and loads of people on here would help you sort out how.

But over to those who know the answer to your question!
DG
 
I have Type 2 Diabetes and Osteoarthritis as well, I had the Diabetes first and the Osteoarthritis came a few years later in my knee. Can't quite see the connection really. Since starting to eat a low carb diet I have felt better as my blood sugars have dropped and my weight also dropped,therefore taking some pressure off my knee. I also have problems with my fingers but I don't feel Diabetes is responsible for it.
 
randomlight said:
I am worried that the insurance company may say that my osteoarthritis is caused by my diabetes.If they could determine this it would give them cause to stop paying me as they could claim that my osteoarthritis was caused by a pre-existing medical condition (my diabetes).
Click to expand...

Like most other conditions, there are many factors that can increase the risk of getting osteoarthritis. Usually, several of these have to be present before osteoarthritis develops. These important risk factors include the following:

Age
Osteoarthritis usually starts in the late 40s, 50s or 60s and is uncommon before the age of 40.

Sex
For most joints, especially the knees and hands, osteoarthritis is more common and severe in women.

Obesity
For many people, this is an important factor in causing osteoarthritis, especially at the knee. Being overweight also increases the chances of osteoarthritis worsening once it has developed.

Joint injury
A major injury or operation on a joint may lead to osteoarthritis at that site in later life. There are some abnormalities of the joint that you can be born with or which develop when you get older.
Normal activity and exercise is good rather than bad for joints and does not cause osteoarthritis.

Heredity
There is one common form of osteoarthritis (nodal osteoarthritis) that strongly runs in families. This particularly affects the hands of middle-aged women.

Of course there may be other causes, but I personally do not know or have ever heard of Diabetes causing Osteoarthritis. If ever the Company allege this, it would be incumbent on them to prove this....I don't think they could !
 
Hi shirleymarye, your Osteoarthritis and any associated nerve damage/pain may or may not be caused by your diabetes. I have suffered with degenerative arthritis, spondylitis, of the lower spine for over 4 years and have been diagnosed with diabetes since last March, despite getting my BG levels under control, my last hba1c was 5.1% and loosing 4 stones in weight, my leg pain has got much worse, I can however say that as I had the arthritis first it could not have been cause dby the diabetes.

As millions of people suffer from arthritis who are not diabetic it would seem very hard to prove it was or was not caused by your diabetes, unless you were in your teens or a 20 something person.

I would speak to your doctor about this if you are worried.
 
I'm not an insurance underwriter but I do have a lot of insurance related experience, so I'll give you my tuppenceworth.

Osteoarthritis is a medical condition in it's own right, so if that is the basis of your insurance claim, which the insurance company have accepted, then my own view is that you have nothing to worry about.

As a newbie I've been doing loads of research on diabetes and my own existing ailments and of course I've learned that diabetes can lead to all other sorts of medical conditions and complications, so if your other half disclosed his diabetes at the outset of the policy there should be no medical comeback from the insurers. Similarly, if he was diagnosed with diabetes after starting the policy there should be no comeback.

I suspect it will be difficult for anyone to give you a definative answer without knowing the "in's and out's" of the insurance policy itself. For example, some group schemes set up through employers may not even ask for a medical questionaire to be completed, or if they do it could be a very short/minimal one.

Long story short, I wouldn't worry yourself about it unduly if I were in your shoes.

Hope that helps?
 
Back
Top