In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), higher BMI value was found to be associated with asthma,
according to a study published in Frontiers in Medicine. Researchers evaluated participants (N=14,272)
aged 40 and older who completed spirometry tests and questionnaires. They collected data on RA, asthma,
COPD, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, otitis media, sinusitis, and BMI and performed network analysis
and logistic regression. Of total participants, 2.4% had RA, which was significantly linked with asthma
(OR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.51-3.57), sinusitis (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.08-2.50), and allergic rhinitis (OR, 1.51;
95% CI, 1.08-2.10). Of significance, the association between BMI and asthma was observed only in the RA
group (r=0.214; P<0.05). The incidence of obesity was 64% in patients with asthma in the presence of RA
and 40% in the absence of RA (P=0.034). Therefore, the study “indicates that asthma is more obesity-related
in patients with RA,” the study authors wrote.
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