Relevance of the new pre-cachexia and cachexia definitions for patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Summary Background & aims The recently proposed definitions of 'pre-cachexia' and 'cachexia' might offer new possibilities for the detection of malnutrition in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods The prevalence of different components of nutritional status and the compiled definitions of 'precachexia' and 'cachexia' were measured in a cohort of 103 patients with moderately active RA. Nutritional status was determined by measuring unintentional weight loss, BMI, and muscle strength. Bio-electrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) was used to determine fat free mass index (FFMI) and fat mass index. In addition, appetite, pain, fatigue, and inflammatory activity were assessed. The prevalence of 'pre-cachexia' and 'cachexia' was calculated from different combinations of these parameters. Results 20% of the study population had a low FFMI (