OBESITY- AN IMPORTANT ASPECT IN THE MANAGEMENTOF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

摘要

OBESITY HAS BECOME A WORLDWIDE PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM, BEING RECOGNIZED BY WORLDHEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) IN 1995 AS A GLOBAL EPIDEMIC. IT’S IMPACT IS WIDELY RECOGNIZEDDUE TO IT’S ASSOCIATION WITH METABOLIC AND/OR CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS.RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) IS AN INFLAMMATORY DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY JOINTDESTRUCTION AND WHICH BY ITS AUTOIMMUNE CHARACTER PRESENTS ALSO A SYSTEMIC AFFECTIONWITH A STRONG IMPACT ON QUALITY OF LIFE 8MANY SPECIALTY LITERATURE DATA INDICATE THAT THE PREVALENCE OF OBESITY IS HIGHER INPATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS THAN IN GENERAL POPULATION. ALSO OBESITYHAS BEEN OBSERVED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER SUBJECTIVE MEASURES OF DISEASE ACTIVITYAND POOR TREATMENT RESPONSE, BUT ALSO WITH A DECREASED RISK OF JOINT DAMAGE AND LOWERMORTALITY.