Session Information
Title: Rheumatoid Arthritis - Clinical Aspects (ACR): Comorbidities, Treatment Outcomes and Mortality
Session Type: Abstract Submissions (ACR)
Background/Purpose:
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality due to several metabolic deteriorations one of which is sarcopenia. The aim of this cross-sectional pilot study was to investigate sarcopenia in patients with RA and to evaluate its relation to the disability assessment.
Methods: Forty female patients with RA and age-gender and body mass index (BMI) matched 40 healthy controls were included. Demographic data, pain, morning stiffness duration, disease activity score (DAS28), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) and the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) were evaluated. Body compositions were assessed with whole body dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. We compared the appendicular appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) and skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) of patients to their healthy matches. Also possible correlations between SMI and the disease characteristics and HAQ score were investigated. The independent samples t test and the Pearson’s correlation test were used to evaluate the data.
Results:
The mean age of the patients and controls were 48,29 ±8,34 and 46.21±6.90 years, respectively. The BMI values, percentages of obese, overweigth and healthy weight subjects were similar in patient and control groups. However, ASM and SMI calculations were found to be significantly lower in patients with RA than those in controls (p<0,05). The percentage of sarcopenia was significantly higher in patients with RA than that in their age-gender and BMI similar healthy matches (20% and 7%; respectively; p<0,05). Although there were no significant correlation between SMI and age, disease duration, morning stiffness, pain, DAS28 levels and laboratory investigations, a significant negative correlation was determined between SMI and HAQ score in patients with RA (p<0,05).
Conclusion:
We demontrated lower SMI values and higher sarcopenia ratios in patients with RA than their age-gender and BMI similar healthy matches. Also, independetly from other disease characteristics, the inverse correlation between SMI and HAQ scores found in our study may contribute the understanding of the impact of the process on the disability of the patients.
Disclosure:
M. A. Melikoglu,
None;
K. Senel,
None.
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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/sarcopenia-and-its-impact-on-disability-in-rheumatoid-arthritis-a-pilot-study/