Sarcopenia in women with rheumatoid arthritis

Objective: To assess sarcopenia status in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Material and Methods: Thirty female patients with RA and 30 female controls without RA were enrolled in this study. Sarcopenia status in patients with RA was evaluated by assessing body composition using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were measured, and body mass index (BMI) and Disease Activity Score (DAS28) were calculated. Because sarcopenia differs between men and women, the study groups comprised only females. Results: It was found that skeletal muscle index (SMI) was lower in patients with RA (5.83 +/- 0.807) than in controls (7.30 +/- 1.640). Sarcopenia (in females with an SMI of <= 5.75 kg/m(2)) was more common in the RA group and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.004). Sarcopenia was more common in patients with RA who were normal or overweight than in those who were obese according to their BMI. There was no relationship between sarcopenia and DAS28 in the RA group (p=0.530), whereas CRP levels were significantly higher in patients with sarcopenia (p=0.230). No relationship was found between drug use and sarcopenia in the RA group. Conclusion: It was found that SMI was decreased and sarcopenia risk was elevated in patients with RA and the risk was higher in non-obese patients.