Obesity linked to increased fibromyalgia risk

April 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr 29 (ANI): Norwegian University of Science and Technology scientists have established a link between the level of leisure time physical exercise and a future risk of developing fibromyalgia.

The research team also identified BMI as an independent risk factor for fibromyalgia.

The study’s findings appear in the May issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by widespread pain lasting more than 3 months, and tender point sites in the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms, and legs. Associated features often include unexplained fatigue, sleep disturbances, headache, cognitive difficulty, and mood disturbances. The prevalence of FM increases with age and is considerably higher among women than men. Although the etiology of FM is poorly understood, many authors have suggested that a dysfunctional autonomic nervous system involving deficiencies in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system contributes to the development of FM by altering pain perception and endogenous pain inhibition.

According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, FM has been linked to stressful or traumatic events, such as car accidents, repetitive injuries, illness, certain diseases, or FM can occur spontaneously. Some scientists speculate that a gene or genes might be involved in fibromyalgia that could make a person react strongly to things that other people would not find painful.

Longitudinal studies have shown that physical exercise is associated with less musculoskeletal pain and stiff or painful joints among aging women. The Norwegian researchers, led by Paul Mork, D.Phil., proposed that first, there is an association between levels of leisure time physical exercise and future risk of FM and, second, being overweight/obese may represent an independent risk factor for future development of FM. Data for the study was collected from the Nord-Trøndelag Health (HUNT) Study, the first part conducted in 1984 (HUNT 1) and the second in 1995 (HUNT 2). During the 11 years between HUNT 1 and HUNT 2, 380 cases of incident FM were reported among 15,990 women who provided information on relevant variables at both surveys and who reported no FM or physical impairment at HUNT 1.

“Women who reported exercising 4 times per week had a 29 percent lower risk of FM compared with inactive women,” says Dr. Mork. “Similar results were found in the analysis of the summary score combining information on frequency, duration, and intensity of exercise; women with the highest exercise level had a somewhat lower risk than inactive women. The study further shows that a high BMI (i.e., being overweight or obese) is a strong and independent risk factor for future development of FM. Moreover, the higher relative risks for the combined effect of being overweight/obese and inactive, relative to being overweight/obese alone, point to a further disadvantage for overweight women who do not exercise.” (ANI)

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Rheumatoid arthritis patients at increased death risk after heart attack

October 27, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Washington, October 27 : A new study has revealed that people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are more likely to suffer greater heart-related complications, and have an increased risk of death following a heart attack, when compared to other heart attack patients.

Dr. Hilal Maradit Kremers, a Mayo Clinic epidemiologist and lead author of the study, has revealed that the research team followed 38 heart attack patients who had RA to compare their mortality rates to those who had suffered a heart attack but did not have RA.

The researcher has also revealed that most patients were female, with a mean age of 76 years.

The team evaluated treatment of heart attacks and tracked patient outcomes (heart failure and death).

They observed that nine of the 38 RA patients had experienced heart failure prior to the heart attack, and of the remainder, a total of 18 RA patients developed heart failure following their heart attacks – making the risk of heart failure following a heart attack in patients with RA 45 percent higher than expected in the general population.

The risk of death was found to be 75 percent higher in heart attack patients with RA, and was particularly high among patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had a positive blood test for rheumatoid factor.

Based on their observations, the researchers came to the conclusion that patients with RA may suffer higher mortality, and be at higher risk of heart failure after a heart attack.

They, however, still do not know the reasons for such outcomes.

The researchers say that their findings emphasize the need for better strategies for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart attacks in such patients.

“Heart disease can remain silent in those with rheumatoid arthritis, but the risk is there soon after the onset of the disease. Regular cardiac checkups are important—as is lowering traditional cardiac risk factors, such as taking care of blood pressure and cholesterol and quitting smoking,” says Dr. Kremers.

The findings of the study were presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, California. (ANI)

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Ayurvedic therapy may be safe and effective for knee pain

October 26, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Oct 26 : A new study has revealed that ayurvedic drugs may be safer, and just as effective, as glucosamine and celecoxib in treating patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis, or OA as it is commonly called, is the most common joint disease affecting middle-age and older people.

It is characterized by progressive damage to the joint cartilage, the slippery material at the end of long bones, and causes changes in the structures around the joint.

These changes can include fluid accumulation, bony overgrowth, and loosening and weakness of muscles and tendons, all of which may limit movement and cause pain and swelling.

Ayurvedic therapy is rooted in ancient Indian civilization and is considered to be the precursor to many other forms of Asian medicine. It is practiced popularly in India to treat several chronic disorders.

Researchers recently spent five years studying the safety and effectiveness of ayurvedic herbal drugs, in comparison to glucosamine and celecoxib, two commonly used treatments for OA.

In this randomized, double-blind study, researchers followed 440 with painful knee OA.

After dividing patients into one of four groups (two groups were placed on different types of ayurvedic therapy, one group was placed on glucosamine, and one group on celecoxib), researchers compared the effectiveness and safety of each therapy over a 24-week period by looking at active pain, difficulty and function, and side effects in the patients.

Researchers found that none of the groups experienced serious side effects – those taking ayurvedic therapy showed even fewer side effects overall.

The results showed ayurvedic treatments to be relatively safe and as effective as glucosamine and Celecoxib for improving pain and function in patients with OA.

The study has been presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, California. (ANI)

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Being overweight may be bad for your hips and knees

October 26, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Being overweight may be bad for your hips and kneesWashington, Oct 26 : A new study has revealed that being overweight, particularly if one has a higher than average body mass index, may increase the person’s risk of developing severe osteoarthritis in hips and knees.

Osteoarthritis, or OA as it is commonly called, is the most common joint disease affecting middle-age and older people.

It is characterized by progressive damage to the joint cartilage, the slippery material at the end of long bones, and causes changes in the structures around the joint.

These changes can include fluid accumulation, bony overgrowth, and loosening and weakness of muscles and tendons, all of which may limit movement and cause pain and swelling.

For the study, Swedish researchers measured the body mass, waist, waist-to-hip ratio, weight and percentage of body fat of 11,026 male and 16,934 female members from the general population—who ranged in age from 45 to 73 years—and of that group, 1,022 OA patients who had undergone joint replacement surgery were identified 11 years later

Then, researchers compared 471 patients who had total knee replacement and 551 patients who had total hip replacement due to OA with those who did not to define the relationships between body mass and knee and hip OA leading to joint replacement.

They also explored the relationships between C-reactive protein, metabolic syndrome and the incidence of severe knee and hip OA.

After taking into account other important risk factors, including age, sex, smoking status, other illnesses, C-reactive protein, and physical activity level, researchers determined that being overweight by any measure identified was associated with knee OA leading to joint replacement.

Of all measures, a higher body mass was the biggest risk factor associated with developing severe hip or knee OA for both men and women.

The study has been presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, California. (ANI)

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