Observational studyArthritis care & research2018
Intramuscular Fat Accumulation and Associations With Body Composition, Strength, and Physical Functioning in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Observational study in Arthritis care & research, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 44 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review with meta-analysis on muscle strength, muscle mass, and physical function.Clinical rheumatology · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Longitudinal Course of Muscle Status in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis.International journal of rheumatic diseases · 2026Article
- Association of immune checkpoint inhibitors with muscle mass and density in patients with melanoma.The oncologist · 2026Article
- Associations Between Deep Learning-Derived Fat, Muscle, and Bone Measures From Abdominal Computed Tomography Scans and Fall Risk in Persons Aged 20 Years or Older.Mayo Clinic proceedings. Digital health · 2025Article
- Metabolic Consequences of Rheumatoid Arthritis.Arthritis care & research · 2025Review
- The Role of Selected Myokines in the Development of Cardiovascular Diseases, and Their Involvement in Developing Heart Failure in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Longitudinal Assessment of Body Composition and Inflammatory Status in Rheumatoid Arthritis During TNF Inhibitor Treatment: A Pilot Study.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Observational
- The association between body roundness index and handgrip strength and muscle quality index: A cross-sectional study.PloS one · 2025Article
- Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Training on Strength and Functionality in People With Knee Arthropathies: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Translational sports medicine · 2025Review
- Article
- Association between muscle quality index and pulmonary function in post-COVID-19 subjects.BMC pulmonary medicine · 2023Article
- Potential of bone morphogenetic protein-7 in treatment of lupus nephritis: addressing the hurdles to implementation.Inflammopharmacology · 2023Review
- Sarcopenia in rheumatic disorders: what the radiologist and rheumatologist should know.Skeletal radiology · 2022Review
- Identification of potential miRNA-mRNA regulatory network and the key miRNAs in intramuscular and subcutaneous adipose.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2022Article
- Association of myosteatosis with various body composition abnormalities and longer length of hospitalization in patients with decompensated cirrhosis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Article
- Article
- Altered skeletal muscle metabolic pathways, age, systemic inflammation, and low cardiorespiratory fitness associate with improvements in disease activity following high-intensity interval training in persons with rheumatoid arthritis.Arthritis research & therapy · 2021Article
- Association of Low Muscle Density With Deteriorations in Muscle Strength and Physical Functioning in Rheumatoid Arthritis.Arthritis care & research · 2021Article
- The Effect of TNF and Non-TNF-Targeted Biologics on Body Composition in Rheumatoid Arthritis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with adverse body composition profiles and low muscle density due to the accumulation of intramuscular fat. Linear regression was used to assess differences between RA patients and controls and to determine associations between muscle density, strength, and physical functioning.
methodsPatients with RA, ages 18-70 years, and healthy control subjects underwent whole-body dual x-ray absorptiometry and peripheral quantitative computed tomography, in order to quantify the appendicular lean mass index (ALMI) and the fat mass index (FMI), visceral fat area, and muscle density. Dynamometry was used to measure hand grip strength and muscle strength at the knee and lower leg. Disability and physical functioning were measured using the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Linear regression analyses were performed to assess differences related to RA and associations between muscle density, strength, and function.
resultsThe study group included 103 patients with RA (51 men) and 428 healthy control subjects. Among patients with RA, low muscle density was associated with higher disease activity, C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 levels, greater total and visceral fat area, lower ALMI Z scores, physical inactivity, and long-term use of glucocorticoids (>1 year). Patients with low ALMI Z scores had lower muscle density Z scores compared with reference participants with similarly low ALMI scores. Low muscle density was independently associated with lower muscle strength, higher HAQ scores, and lower SPPB scores, after adjustment for ALMI and FMI Z scores.
conclusionThe low muscle density observed in patients with RA was associated with low muscle mass, excess adiposity, poor strength, and greater disability. Interventions to address poor muscle quality could potentially affect important functional outcomes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.