RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS and Cortisol / Eosinophils
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Hi everyone thanks for all your responses on previous thread. RA has been pretty good but have had to go back onto Enbrel due to severe flare ups.
One detail I have become interested in is Eosinophils, these have frequently been elevated above range when RA has been bad. During pregnancy when RA completely resolved, Eosinophils plummeted to normal range.
It seems Eosinophil levels correlate and are affected by the HPA axis and cortisol levels. This study demonstrate the acute lowering on administering cortisone.
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2595509/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2595509/)
Its well know that cortisol and aldosterone levels rise 2-3 times during pregnancy which could explain the drop in Eos and resolution of RA.
post pregnancy she was kept in the hospital for a week with extremely low BP and dizziness, fainting. know what i know now i suspect this would be related to a reduced adrenal response failing to raise BP. she has long term AI hypothyroidism and this often pairs with an affect on adrenals.
As I am starting to suspect adrenal insufficiency / mild addison, what would be a good way to test this hypothesis without going to a doc and getting a ACTH challenge?
there are a few reports on RP forum of RA people seeing resolution with small low dose cortisone therapy.
Thanks everyone, lets keep this forum going
"A history that is suggestive of adrenal insufficiency, including the use and tapering of corticosteroids, can provide a clue that the observed eosinophilia is associated with adrenal insufficiency. Hypoadrenalism (ie, Addison disease) is the most common endocrine abnormality associated with eosinophilia."
