Obesity Can Reduce Chance of RA Remission
When it comes to arthritis, being overweight can do more than place excessive strain on affected joints. New research presented the 2007 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Annual Scientific Meeting shows it can also decrease the chances of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) going into remission.
To determine if body mass index (BMI, a calculation based on body fat, height and weight) can contribute to the remission of RA, researchers randomly placed 100 people with different BMIs on combination therapy consisting of methotrexate, sulfasalazine, hydroxychloroquine, prednisolone and either placebo or infliximab (Remicade).
After 12 months of treatment, 58 percent of patients with normal body weight who were taking placebo plus the combination therapy were in remission. But only 35 percent of those who were overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9) and 25 percent of those who were obese (BMI of 30 or greater) were in remission. Being overweight didn't seem to affect those who were taking Remicade plus the combination therapy.
Marjatta Leirisalo-Repo, MD, PhD, of Helsinki University Central Hospital, who led the study, thinks Remicade is able to overcome the resistance to remission that's caused by obesity because it has a direct effect on an inflammatory mediator. Since fat tissue produces proinflammatory mediators, it puts people who are overweight at increased risk of inflammatory complications, she says. But Remicade may act on the inflammatory mediator that is produced by fat tissue, helping push even obese people into remission. 11/8/07
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