A meta-analysis of the relationship between body mass index and risk of rheumatoid arthritis

Authors

  • Ying Zhou Division of Rheumatology, Research Institute of Surgery, Daping Hospital, the Army Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China
  • Mingfang Sun Division of Rheumatology, Research Institute of Surgery, Daping Hospital, the Army Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2018-1763

Keywords:

rheumatoid arthritis (RA), body mass index (BMI), meta-analysis, risk factor

Abstract

The present meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A systematic search of the Cochrane, Pubmed, and Embase databases was conducted to identify relevant studies published before September 2017 using terms related to BMI and RA. Fixed or random-effect models were used to estimate the pooled relative risk (RR) with 95 % confidence interval (CI). Subgroup analyses by sex were performed to investigate the association between BMI and RA in male and female subgroups. A total of 14 eligible studies containing 353,948 patients were included in the analysis. The pooled results suggested that the odds ratios (ORs) of RA were 1.08 (95 % CI: 1.00~1.15) for overweight, and 1.32 (95 % CI: 1.11~1.54) for obesity, respectively, suggesting that a higher BMI increases the risk of RA compared to normal weight. Further subgroup analyses showed a positive association between BMI and RA risk but only in females, with a RR of 1.11 (95 % CI: 1.00~1.22) for overweight and 1.40 (95 % CI: 1.24~1.57) for obesity. In conclusion, an increased BMI may lead to a higher risk for RA development. Furthermore, the positive association between BMI and RA risk may be stronger in female populations than in males. However, additional analyses are needed.

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Published

2018-11-06

How to Cite

Zhou, Y., & Sun, M. (2018). A meta-analysis of the relationship between body mass index and risk of rheumatoid arthritis. EXCLI Journal, 17, 1079–1089. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2018-1763

Issue

Vol. 17 (2018)

Section

Original articles

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