Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Sep;41(9):2745-2754.
doi: 10.1007/s10067-022-06164-5. Epub 2022 Jun 1.

The impact of a structured weight-loss treatment on physical fitness in patients with psoriatic arthritis and obesity compared to matched controls: a prospective interventional study

Annelie Bilberg  1 , Ingrid Larsson  2 , Sofia Björkman  2 , Björn Eliasson  3 , Eva Klingberg  4
Affiliations

The impact of a structured weight-loss treatment on physical fitness in patients with psoriatic arthritis and obesity compared to matched controls: a prospective interventional study

Annelie Bilberg et al. Clin Rheumatol. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of weight loss treatment on physical fitness in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and obesity compared to matched controls.

Methods: In total, 46 patients with PsA (CASPAR) and BMI ≥ 33 kg/m2 and 52 obese persons were included in this 12-month prospective open intervention study with a very low energy diet (640 kcal/day), followed by structured reintroduction of an energy-restricted diet and brief support for physical activity. The primary outcome was muscle strength assessed with hand-grip strength (Grippit) and leg muscle strength (timed stand test). Secondary outcomes were cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and physical functioning (SF-36PCS). Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 6 (M6), and 12 months (M12). Nonparametric statistics were used.

Results: Median weight reduction at M6 was 18.9 kg in patients and 23.0 kg in controls, (p = 0.546). At M12, patients' median weight loss from baseline was 16.1 kg, corresponding with significant loss of total fat mass (- 30.1%), and lean mass (total - 7.0%, arm - 13.7%, and leg - 6.0%). Leg muscle strength improved in patients and controls at M6 (p < 0.001) and remained improved at M12 (p < 0.01), while hand-grip strength was unchanged in both groups. Cardiorespiratory fitness increased in controls at M6 (p = 0.018) and M12 (p = 0.028) but not in patients. Physical functioning improved in both groups at M6 (p < 0.001) and remained improved at M12 (p = 0.008) and (p < 0.01), respectively.

Conclusion: The intervention resulted in positive effects on body weight and total body fat. Despite reduced lean body mass, the muscle strength did not deteriorate in patients with PsA and controls.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02917434, registered on September 21, 2016-retrospectively registered.

Keywords: Obesity; Physical fitness; Psoriatic arthritis; Very low energy diet treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no financial or nonfinancial competing interests. The patients were able to buy the VLED at a reduced price from Cambridge Weight Plan Limited, Solna, Sweden.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart for the study from baseline to 12 months showing participation and participants lost to follow-up
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Ritchlin CT, Colbert RA, Gladman DD. Psoriatic Arthritis. N Engl J Med. 2017;376(10):957–970. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1505557. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Tezel N, Yilmaz Tasdelen O, Bodur H, Gul U, Kulcu Cakmak S, Oguz ID, et al. Is the health-related quality of life and functional status of patients with psoriatic arthritis worse than that of patients with psoriasis alone? Int J Rheumatic Dis. 2015;18(1):63–69. doi: 10.1111/1756-185X.12283. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bhole VM, Choi HK, Burns LC, Vera Kellet C, Lacaille DV, Gladman DD, et al. Differences in body mass index among individuals with PsA, psoriasis RA and the general population. Rheumatol (Oxford) 2012;51(3):552–556. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/ker349. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Landgren AJ, Bilberg A, Eliasson B, Larsson I, Dehlin M, Jacobsson L, et al. Cardiovascular risk factors are highly overrepresented in Swedish patients with psoriatic arthritis compared with the general population. Scand J Rheumatol. 2020;49(3):195–199. doi: 10.1080/03009742.2019.1672783. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ogdie A, Palmer JL, Greenberg J, Curtis JR, Harrold LR, Solomon DH, et al. Predictors of achieving remission among patients with psoriatic arthritis initiating a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor. J Rheumatol. 2019;46(5):475–482. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.171034. - DOI - PubMed

Associated data