Lose weight (if you need to) to reduce rheumatic disease

A higher body mass index (BMI) increases the risk of five different rheumatic diseases: osteoarthritis; rheumatism; gout; psoriatic arthritis; and inflammatory spondylitis.

We already know there is a connection between rheumatic diseases and a high BMI. It could be that a high BMI actually causes rheumatic disease. Or that people with rheumatic disease tend to have a higher BMI for some unknown reason.

The new research – in Arthritis & Rheumatology – used information in human genes and found that people who have a genetic predisposition to a high BMI also have an increased risk of developing rheumatic disease. This means that lowering body weight can be a way to reduce symptoms of rheumatic disease.

Some interesting differences are highlighted:

• High BMI was a stronger risk factor for women compared to men for gout and psoriatic arthritis;
• Increase in BMI in people of normal weight results in greater risk of gout than in people who are already overweight and obese;
• Women of childbearing age who have high BMI are more likely to develop osteoarthritis than older women with high BMI.

Dr Weronica Ek, who led the study, concludes that “the results of the study provide greater understanding of the risks behind rheumatic disease and show that a lower body weight can be used as an intervention to reduce the risk of suffering from rheumatic disease”.

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