TITLE:
Prevalence and Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome in a Cohort of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Correlation between Body Mass Index and Disease Activity
AUTHORS:
Susana Ferreira Krampe, Nicole Pamplona Bueno de Andrade, Letícia Guimarães da Silveira, Claiton Viegas Brenol
KEYWORDS:
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Metabolic Syndrome, Medical Treatment, Body Mass Index, Disease Activity
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Rheumatology and Autoimmune Diseases,
Vol.10 No.3,
June
9,
2020
ABSTRACT: Rheumatoid
Arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease associated with high morbidity and
increased cardiovascular disease, and Metabolic Syndrome (MS) is understood as
a set of metabolic disorders that correlates with obesity and sedentary
lifestyle. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of MS in a
cohort of patients with RA and its correlation to specific factors of the
disease. A retrospective cohort study was conducted with 283 patients with RA,
followed at the Rheumatology Outpatient Clinic of the Hospital de Clínicas de
Porto Alegre (HCPA) between 2008 and 2016; 187 continued to be followed and
agreed to be reevaluated between January and November 2016. MS was defined
according to the National Cholesterol Education Program and disease activity
was assessed using the Disease Activity Score (DAS28). Clinical, biochemical,
and anthropometric evaluations were conducted. The prevalence of MS in the first
evaluation was 43.9% and, after 8 years, 59.4%. Increased waist circumference
and blood pressures, elevated triglycerides and low High-Density Lipoprotein
were the most frequent features of MS. The DAS28 was significantly lower in the
reevaluation (p = 0.006). The prevalence of MS was higher at the end of 8
years; disease activity, as well as blood pressure, decreased during this
period. Steroid use had also decreased at the end of follow-up. There was an
increase of 15% of cases with MS in an 8-year follow-up cohort of patients,
which was in agreement with the current literature and showed how the
inflammatory process in RA is correlated to MS. The parameters of MS that
varied the most were blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides. Ultimately,
these parameters and disease activity must be observed closely in order to
improve the prognosis of patients with RA.