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Published in:

01-04-2020 | Obesity | Review Article

Obesity and its role in the management of rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis

Authors: Luca Moroni, Nicola Farina, Lorenzo Dagna

Published in: Clinical Rheumatology | Issue 4/2020

Abstract

In the last decade, interest has been growing in the relationship between obesity and several other clinical conditions, besides the well-established links between body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular diseases or cancer. A particular focus has been put on the impact of a higher BMI on immune-mediated diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Obesity has been found to be associated with greater arthritis activity and a reduced probability of response to anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents. On the other hand, weight loss increases the chances of treatment success. Although the direct effect of a higher body mass on drug clearance might in part account for this obesity-related effect, other biological mechanisms could be involved. The evidence of a negative influence of obesity on arthritis treatment is particularly strong as far as anti-TNF inhibition is concerned; on the contrary, the response to biologic agents targeting interleukin-6, cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4, or CD20 seems not to be negatively affected by a higher BMI. In this review, we will consider the main studies investigating the influence of obesity on anti-rheumatic treatment in RA and PsA patients. We will also try to hypothesize about a possible pathogenic explanation of this phenomenon and its role in the choice of an appropriate and personalized therapy.

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Title: Obesity and its role in the management of rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis
Authors: Luca Moroni
Nicola Farina
Lorenzo Dagna
Publication date: 01-04-2020
Publisher: Springer London
Keywords: Obesity
Obesity
Abatacept
Psoriatic Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Published in: Clinical Rheumatology / Issue 4/2020
Print ISSN: 0770-3198
Electronic ISSN: 1434-9949
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-020-04963-2

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