Obese people with rheumatoid arthritis less like to receive successful treatment, suggests study

A new study from the University of Calgary in Canada, suggests that rheumatoid arthritis patients may be like likely to receive successful treatment for their condition if they are obese.

The study, published in Arthritis Care & Research, aimed to further explore the relationship between obesity and remission in rheumatoid arthritis, as well as other measures for treatment response and mortality.

The analyse this trend, the research team worked with existing studies included in a number of scientific databases. The were looking for articles reporting estimates for achieving remission in obese people relative to other body mass index (BMI) categories, or changes in disease activity measures, patient-reported outcomes or mortality rates during therapy that could be associated with the person’s weight. In total, 3,368 records were screened for the study.

Although obesity was not associated with an increased mortality rate, it was shown that obese patients were less likely to achieve remission compared to non-obese individuals and those of normal weight.

Most studies found obese patients to have worse disease activity scores, tender joint counts, inflammatory markers, pain and physical function scores during follow-up.

The researchers say, “Obesity decreases the odds of achieving remission in rheumatoid arthritis, and negatively impacts disease activity and patient-reported outcomes during therapy. Interventions to reduce BMI should be investigated for the ability to improve disease outcomes.”

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