Traditional Chinese Medicine May Help To Reduced Sarcopenia In Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

OBJECTIVE: Sarcopenia is a common coexisting condition in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. However, its potential to lower the risk of developing sarcopenia in individuals with RA has not been firmly established. We conducted a large-scale cohort study comparing the risk of sarcopenia in RA patients who either used or did not use herbal medicine(HM). METHODS: We assembled a cohort of patients newly diagnosed with RA and free of sarcopenia between 2002 and 2010, using data from a nationwide insurance database. We employed propensity score matching to randomly select two groups: those who used HM and those who did not use HM. These groups were then compared for their risk of developing sarcopenia until the end of 2013 using a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: In comparison to non-HM users, patients receiving HM treatment exhibited a lower incidence of sarcopenia (7.69 per 1000 person-years compared to 9.83 per 1000 person-years). Notably, using HM for more than two years was found to decrease the risk of developing sarcopenia by approximately 47% when used as prescribed. CONCLUSION: This study provides novel evidence by demonstrating that longer-term HM use is associated with a progressively lower risk of sarcopenia in individuals with RA.