Photo Credit: Anna Bergbauer

The following is a summary of “Health-related quality of life significantly improved in obese patients with psoriatic arthritis one year after a structured weight loss intervention,” published in the March 2025 issue of Advances in Rheumatology by Landgren et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study comparing health-related quality of life (HRQoL), anxiety, depression, and fatigue at baseline (BL) and 12 months (M12) in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and controls. 

They included 39 patients with PsA (25–75 years, BMI ≥33 kg/m²) in a very low energy diet (VLED) intervention for 12 or 16 weeks based on BL BMI <40 or ≥40 kg/m². They assessed HRQoL using the 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) and anxiety/depression with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at BL, M3, M6, and M12. They recruited 39 matched obese controls already planned for VLED. 

The results showed that the physical component summary (PCS) improved in patients with PsA from 34 (25–45) at BL to 43 (34–50) at M12 (P = 0.009), with no significant mental component summary (MCS) change. In controls, PCS increased from 44 (36–50) to 52 (44–55) (P < 0.001), while MCS remained unchanged. Anxiety and depression decreased significantly in both groups. 

Investigators found the weight loss intervention significantly improved physical HRQoL, anxiety, and depression in patients with PsA and controls. 

Source: advancesinrheumatology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42358-025-00444-9