EFFECT OF EXERCISE ON OBESITY AND CARDIOVASCULAR COMORBIDITIES IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND SPONDYLOARTHRITIS

Studies show that the prevalence of obesity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients is higher than in the general population (approximately 30-40% of patients with RA are obese).In patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA), up to 40% of them are obese, with varying rates depending on the specific SpA subtype.Obesity in RA and SpA patients can lead to more severe functional impairments, reduced physical quality of life and exacerbate inflammation.Furthermore, obesity may also influence the treatment response through alteration of drug metabolism and can also exacerbate comorbidities, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes -both more prevalent in RA and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients (1,2).Exercise can have a significant positive impact on managing obesity in these group of in patients, but it is important to consider the disease activity, structural damage and patient's overall general condition.