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Rheumatoid arthritis

Glucocorticoid therapy and body composition

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Glucocorticoids are cost-effective drugs that exert strong anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. However, there is increasing awareness of their potential adverse effects. Although Cushingoid appearance and weight gain have been known for decades, modern measurements of body composition now enable detailed insights into glucocorticoid-induced changes in fat mass and redistribution.

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Figure 1: The two-compartment model of body composition.

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Frank Buttgereit and Gerd R. Burmester are at the Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité University Medicine, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.,

    Frank Buttgereit & Gerd R. Burmester

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  1. Frank Buttgereit
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  2. Gerd R. Burmester
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Correspondence to Frank Buttgereit.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Buttgereit, F., Burmester, G. Glucocorticoid therapy and body composition. Nat Rev Rheumatol 12, 444–445 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrrheum.2016.114

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