Juvenile arthritis teens less physically active
By Michelle Rizzo
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Physical activity levels are low in adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and this appears to be unrelated to disease activity, study findings in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism indicate.
“The beneficial effects of physical activity on normal growth and development of children and adolescents have been widely recognized,” write Dr. Otto T. H. M. Lelieveld and colleagues from University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands. “To our knowledge, physical activity has not previously been studied in adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.”
Previously referred to as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis begins before the age of 16 years, causing pain, inflammation and cellular damage in the lining of the joints. The disease may have a variety of symptoms and degree of severity. The cause of disease is not known - idiopathic - but it is thought to be related to genetic and environmental factors.
The researchers conducted a study with 30 adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis who were compared with 106 healthy peers. A 3-day activity diary and data from a bicycle ergometry test, which measured the amount of work done during exertion, were used to assess physical and aerobic capacity.
Subjects with juvenile idiopathic arthritis had significantly lower total calorie expenditure, activity-related calorie expenditure, and physical activity levels, compared with the healthy adolescents.
Adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis spent significantly more time in bed and less time on moderate to vigorous physical activity. The authors report that only 23 percent of juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients met public health recommendations of spending least 1 hour per day in moderate to vigorous physical activity, compared with 66 percent of those in the reference group.
“No association was found between physical activity level and activity-related energy expenditure and disease activity and functional ability,” Lelieveld’s group reports.
Adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis run the risk of losing the benefits of physical activity, Lelieveld told Reuters Health. “Low physical activity levels increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also result in a decline in physical fitness and “reinforces social isolation.”
“We have designed an intervention to improve physical activity in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis,” Lelieveld continued. “It is an interactive e-learning program and a pilot will start beginning of 2009.” Its effectiveness will be assessed by a randomly assigned, controlled clinical trial.
SOURCE: Arthritis and Rheumatism, October 15, 2008.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Related Posts:
By David Douglas NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although many children with so-called juvenile idiopathic arthritis have a low level of disease, about one in five have moderate to severe disability, Italian researchers report. “These findings,” Dr. Angelo Ravelli told Reuters Health, “underscore the critical need for treatments and treatment strategies that have the ability to better
Full Post: Kids with arthritis often disabled
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many Americans are failing to meet the minimum recommendations for exercise, although confusing guidelines are making it difficult to assess, researchers reported on Thursday. Depending on which federal exercise recommendations are used, either about half or about two-thirds of Americans meet minimum goals, the team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Full Post: Many Americans miss exercise goals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In children with arthritis, the time from diagnosis to the start of treatment with methotrexate appears to be an important predictor of their response to the drug at 6 months, Dutch investigators report. “Our results suggest that earlier initiation of methotrexate treatment will lead to an increased response,” Dr. R. ten
Full Post: Kids with arthritis benefit from early treatment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older African-American, Native American and non-white Hispanic women are more likely to develop arthritis than their white counterparts, and the larger prevalence of obesity among these ethnic groups may help explain why, new research shows. Among 146,494 women participating in the Women’s Health Initiative — an ongoing study of an ethnically
Full Post: Ethnic differences in arthritis due to obesity
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Joene Hendry NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Gardening helps older men and women reap more than flowers, fruits, and vegetables — it benefits them physically as well, researchers report. In a small study, 14 gardeners between 63 and 86 years old reported an average of 33 hours of gardening during a typical week in May, and
Full Post: Gardening gives elders a harvest of health