title: Association between body composition and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis. A systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Reports regarding the association between body composition and inflammatory activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have consistently yielded contradictory results.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To perform a systematic review on the association between overweight/obesity and inflammatory activity in RA.
  
  
  METHODS
  FAST approach: Article search (Medline, EBSCO, Cochrane Library), followed by abstract retrieval, full text review and blinded assessment of methodological quality for final inclusion. Because of marked heterogeneity in statistical approach and RA activity assessment method, a meta-analysis could not be done. Results are presented as qualitative synthesis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and nineteen reports were found, 16 of them qualified for full text review. Eleven studies (8,147 patients; n range: 37-5,161) approved the methodological quality filter and were finally included. Interobserver agreement for methodological quality score (ICC: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.82-0.98; P<.001) and inclusion/rejection decision (k 1.00, P>.001) was excellent. In all reports body composition was assessed by BMI; however a marked heterogeneity was found in the method used for RA activity assessment. A significant association between BMI and RA activity was found in 6 reports having larger mean sample size: 1,274 (range: 140-5,161). On the other hand, this association was not found in 5 studies having lower mean sample size: 100 (range: 7-150).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The modulation of RA clinical status by body fat mass is suggested because a significant association was found between BMI and inflammatory activity in those reports with a trend toward higher statistical power. The relationship between body composition and clinical activity in RA requires be approached with further studies with higher methodological quality.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad de la Península de Yucatán, Mérida (Yucatán), México.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Nemegyei
authors.affiliation: Nutriología Clínica, Hospital Star Médica, Mérida (Yucatán), México.
authors.forename: Fátima Annai
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Buenfil-Rello
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Medicina, Universidad Anáhuac Mayab, Mérida (Yucatán), México. Electronic address: elda.pacheco@anahuac.mx.
authors.forename: Elda Leonor
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Pacheco-Pantoja
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001823:Body Composition; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Actividad inflamatoria; Artritis reumatoide; Body composition; Body mass index; Composición corporal; Inflammatory activity; Overweight/obesity; Revisión sistemática; Rheumatoid arthritis; Sobrepeso/obesidad; Systematic review; Índice de masa corporal