Research from Gloersen et al. suggests the systemic effects of obesity, as measured by leptin, may play a role in the severity of pain experienced by patients with hand osteoarthritis.
New Study Examines the Physical Activity & Joint Symptom Risk
If you’re a middle-aged woman who makes a New Year’s resolution to work out regularly and you keep that promise for only six months, don’t think that will go far in protecting your joints. Researchers in Australia have homed in on the details of the sustained physical activity required to reduce the risk of joint…
Weight Change in Early RA & the Risk of Mortality
Sparks et al set out to investigate whether weight change during the early RA period is associated with subsequent mortality and to evaluate whether there is an RA-specific effect. They investigated weight change during the early RA period, because this is the window of time during which weight change is most likely to be related to RA-specific processes. They found that severe weight loss during the early RA period was associated with a subsequent increased mortality risk both for women with and without RA…
Changes in BMI Associated with Improvements in Disease Activity & Glucocorticoid Treatment
A recent study examined the relationship between increased BMI and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody–associated vasculitis treatment with glucocorticoids. The results: Weight gain was independently associated with reductions in disease activity, increased glucocorticoid exposure and randomization to rituximab. The most significant increases in BMI occurred during the first six months of treatment, and newly diagnosed patients were more likely to experience an increase in BMI…
BMI Feasible As Pre-Screening Tool for Osteoporosis in Women
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—A body mass index (BMI) of less than 28 alone may be a tool to prescreen younger postmenopausal women for osteoporosis, according to a new study. “For young postmenopausal white women aged 50–64, current prescreening modalities identifying candidates for DXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan … are not performing better than BMI alone,”…
Weight Loss May Predict Early Death in RA Patients
According to a new study, patients with RA experiencing weight loss unrelated to exercise may be at risk of premature death.