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High BMI linked to disease activity in patients with enthesitis-related arthritis
Patients with enthesitis-related arthritis and a high BMI were less likely to achieve inactive disease at 1 year, according to a recently published report.
Investigators retrospectively studied hospital records from the Pediatric Rheumatology Department of the Dokuz Eylül University Hospital in Izmir, Turkey, for 72 patients with enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA). Of these patients, 11 were girls. At diagnosis, the overall median age was 14 years.
Patients were initially treated with NSAIDs, and those who failed to respond received methotrexate or sulfasalazine and a short course of 0.5 mg/kg of prednisone daily. Patients unresponsive after 3 months to 6 months were prescribed adalimumab or etanercept. Inactive disease was defined according to criteria set forth by CA Wallace and colleagues.
Patients were grouped according to “healthy weight,” defined as BMI lower than the 85th percentile, or “increased weight,” defined as BMI at or above the 85th percentile at baseline. Five patients were underweight, and 47 were normal weight. Increased weight was found in 20 patients who had increased tarsitis and ankle involvement.
Inactive disease was reached by 37 patients after 1 year. Univariate analyses revealed patients who failed to achieve inactive disease were more likely to be male, have ankle involvement, have tarsitis and have a high BMI. Multivariate analyses showed failure to achieve clinically inactive disease was associated with increased BMI and ankle involvement. – by Shirley Pulawski
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.