The Plenary III Session reviewed the results of the SAPHYR trial of sarilumab in PMR patients, as well as the WE-CAN study on the impact of a community-level diet & exercise program on knee pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Is More Better? Weight Loss Analysis in Older Patients with Knee OA
Obesity is a modifiable risk factor for many patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), and the National Institutes of Health recommend an initial weight loss goal of 10%. But how does losing more weight affect knee OA patients? In a new study, researchers compared the outcomes of knee OA patients who lost more and less than the recommended 10% of their baseline weight, finding significant improvement in health-related quality of life and reduction in pain for patients who lost twice what’s recommended…
Larger Weight Loss Tied to Greater Improvements in Arthritic Knees
(Reuters Health)—Obese people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) may find greater symptom relief when they lose larger amounts of weight, a recent study suggests. Researchers examined data on 240 obese adults with pain from knee OA who were participating in an 18-month experiment to see how diet alone or diet plus exercise affected their health. Participants…
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…
Eat to Fight Inflammation & Promote Weight Loss
Managing weight loss through diet may help patients with rheumatic disease reduce inflammation. Here are some strategies on weight loss and eating for rheumatologists and patients…
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…
Weight Loss Surgery May Reduce Risk of Developing Gout
(Reuters Health)—Obese people who have weight loss surgeries, such as gastric bypass, are much less likely than those who don’t have surgery to develop gout, a painful type of arthritis, according to a Swedish study. People who chose to get weight loss surgery are also less than half as likely to develop hyperuricemia, too much…
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.
Drugs Studied for Use in Rheumatoid Arthritis, Weight Loss
Plus, rheumatology drug news from EULAR 2014
Fellow’s Forum Case Report: Arthritis, Fever, and Weight Loss In a Teenager Suggest A Rheumatic Condition
Joint pain and swelling flare up in a 14-year-old boy who tests positive for inflammation, thrombocytosis, and human leukocyte antigen B27