Clin Exp Rheumatol
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Comparative Study
Body composition phenotypes in systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis: a comparative study of Caucasian female patients.
The amount and distribution of fat and lean mass have important implications for health and systemic inflammation may represent a risk for altered body composition. The aim of this study was to analyse whether changes in body composition are similarly associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), two inflammatory conditions of different pathogenesis. ⋯ Women with SLE or RA diagnosis are more likely to have abnormal body composition phenotype, with some differences existing between these two conditions. Changes in body composition are partly explained by the inflammatory burden of disease and its treatment.