Obesity Represents a Persisting Health Issue in Axial Spondyloarthritis, Particularly Affecting Socially...

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Obesity is a significant comorbidity in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).
• The prevalence of obesity in axSpA compared to the general population and its socioeconomic correlates are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the prevalence of obesity in patients with axSpA to the general Swiss population.
• To investigate socioeconomic factors associated with obesity in axSpA.

Main Methods:

• A repeated cross-sectional study design was employed, comparing body mass index (BMI) groups in axSpA patients with the Swiss population across three time points (2007, 2012, 2017).
• Chi-square goodness of fit tests were used to compare BMI categories across age, sex, and education levels.
• Unpaired, one-sided t-tests compared BMI in axSpA patients between time points.

Main Results:

• Patients with axSpA exhibited higher rates of overweight and obesity compared to the general population (18.9% obese in axSpA vs. 11.3% in Swiss population in 2017).
• Higher rates of overweight and obesity in axSpA were consistently observed across different age, sex, and education groups.
• Overweight and obese axSpA patients were more likely to be male, older, have higher disease activity, and belong to lower socioeconomic strata (manual labor, lower education).
• A trend of increasing BMI over 10 years was noted in axSpA patients, particularly females.

Conclusions:

• Obesity is significantly more prevalent in axSpA patients than in the general population.
• Socially disadvantaged individuals with axSpA are disproportionately affected by obesity.
• There is a critical need to implement obesity prevention strategies for individuals with axSpA.