Weight
Hip replacement reduces heart failure, depression and diabetes
US scientists identified over 43,000 people with osteoarthritis of the hip from 1998 to 2009. They divided the patients into two groups: those receiving total hip replacements and those not. Participants were followed up for a year and nearly 24,000 were tracked for seven years.
As well as improving life quality and diminishing pain, total hip replacement was associated with reduced mortality, heart failure, depression and diabetes rates in people with osteoarthritis.
On the negative side, the hip replacement group in this study had increased risk of ischemic heart disease and atherosclerosis at one year, and an increased risk of “cardiovascular disease unspecified” over all time points. Continue reading
Lifestyle factors tied to rheumatoid arthritis
Prof Ian Bruce
A new study has shown that smoking, obesity and diabetes increase the likelihood of developing rheumatoid arthritis. Published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, over 25,000 people aged 40 years to 79 years were involved in the study. A total of 184 participants who developed arthritis were compared to those who did not.
While smoking, obesity and diabetes increased the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, consuming a small amount of alcohol and being in a higher social class were associated with a lower probability of developing the disease.
Women who gave birth to more than two children and breastfed for a shorter amount of time also had a greater chance of rheumatoid arthritis. Continue reading
Exercise in fibromyalgia
Scientists examined the effects of exercise on levels of tiredness in lean, overweight and obese people with fibromyalgia and published their findings in Arthritis Research and Therapy. A total of 48 people with fibromyalgia exercised for 15 weeks. Nine were lean, 26 overweight and 13 obese.
Exercise reduced tiredness in the entire study group but the effect was achieved earlier in lean patients.
Obese osteoarthritis patients to lose weight
Losing weight may prevent and alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis in obese people, says a paper published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Scientists from the University of Colorado reviewed the literature and found that obesity could trigger the inflammatory and biomechanical changes that cause osteoarthritis.
“There’s a clear link between obesity and osteoarthritis, and the link is both from biomechanical factors as well as systemic factors,” says study author, Dr Ryan Koonce. “The systemic component appears to be significant.” Continue reading
Home walking is the way forward
A home-based walking programme for people with lower back pain has been found to be as effective as a programme within a clinical situation, suggests a new study.
Researchers assessed 52 people with lower back pain to determine their levels of pain, feelings of disability, tendency to avoid daily activities and muscle and walking endurance. One group took part in a clinic-based muscle strengthening programme (two or three weekly exercise sessions for six weeks). The other group completed a six-week walking programme (20 minutes of walking on two or three days each week, increasing to 40 minutes per session). Continue reading
