Medical News Today—November 19, 2014
A study by Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) researchers finds that body mass index (BMI) plays a role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients' ability to achieve a sustained remission. Looking at patients who had received an RA diagnosis within the past 12 months, investigators found that those who were significantly underweight or overweight/obese were the least likely to remain in remission.
"What's striking is that if you look at the BMI classifications, all the patients in the underweight or overweight categories were much less likely to achieve sustained remission compared to those with a normal BMI," said Susan Goodman, M.D., a rheumatologist at HSS. "Patients who were severely obese had an even lower chance of achieving sustained remission. Individuals in the highest BMI categories also had more inflammation and more pain."
Dr. Bykerk and her team at Hospital for Special Surgery have initiated an American Early Arthritis Cohort (CATCH-U.S.) study and have begun to enroll patients. The study will be expanded to include a multicenter cohort at eight additional U.S. sites to expand this collaboration. The centers will enroll patients with early inflammatory arthritis thought to be RA to compile information on outcomes and determine best practices.
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