Nutritional status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

A nutritional assessment of 50 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) showed evidence of malnutrition in 13 (26%), while all 50 control subjects had normal nutritional status. Of the anthropometric measurements the body-mass index and triceps skinfold thickness values in men and women were significantly reduced in RA patients compared with controls. Upper arm muscle circumference was significantly less in male but not female rheumatoid patients. In addition all six biochemical determinants of nutrition assayed-serum albumin, transferrin, retinol-binding protein, thyroxine-binding prealbumin, zinc, and folic acid-were significantly lower in the RA group of patients. Malnourished patients had more active disease than the remaining RA patients, with significantly higher ESR, C-reactive protein, and alpha 1 antichymotrypsin measurements. Significant inverse correlations were found between some biochemical measurements of nutrition and indices of disease activity. Our results suggest that in RA the severity of disease adversely affects the nutritional status.