Blood Sugar Level Following Intravenous Glucose in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Since the majority of patients with rheumatoid arthritis show a slower fall in the blood sugar level after the intravenous injection of glucose than do the normal controls, the alteration cannot be explained on the basis of gastrointestinal dysfunction. Differences in the renal threshold of glucose do not explain the altered glucose tolerance, since approximately the same amount of glucose is lost in the urine in both groups. Blood samples taken at 3 and 5 minutes following the injection of the glucose showed the height of the blood sugar level to be approximately the same in the patients with rheumatoid arthritis and in normals.