In a new study, researchers found that being overweight may strongly increase the severity of psoriatic arthritis.
They found that body mass index (BMI) and disease severity in psoriatic arthritis are highly correlated.
The research was conducted by a team from the University of Glasgow.
Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the skin and joints, causing pain and disability.
The disease often leads to swelling of the fingers and toes, mainly because of joint inflammation.
Although psoriatic arthritis has been linked to a high prevalence of obesity and being overweight, few studies have examined the relationship between weight and the severity of the disease.
In the study, the team tested 917 patients across eight European countries.
They found that BMI is correlated to psoriatic arthritis disease activity and disability.
The result highlights the impact of obesity and the need for managing body weight in psoriatic arthritis.
The finding supports the growing evidence that shows how fat tissue acts as an active organ involved in metabolic and inflammatory disorders.
The lead author of the study is Dr. Stefan Siebert, Clinical Senior Lecturer in Inflammation and Rheumatology.
The study was presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2019).
In a similar study presented at EULAR 2019, researchers from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden found a better way to predict the development of rheumatoid arthritis in overweight people.
They found that some signaling molecules are secreted by fat tissue and act in a similar way to hormones. Increased levels of these signaling molecules are linked to rheumatoid arthritis.
The researchers suggest that early detection and management of rheumatoid arthritis is very important to improve disease outcomes in patients.
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