Muscle wasting in male TNF-α blocker naïve ankylosing spondylitis patients: a comparison of gender differences in body composition

Abstract

Muscle wasting, measured as low FFMI compared with the reference population, was found in male TNF-α blocker naïve AS patients, especially in those with active disease. Women had higher volumes of body fat than men, but near the median of the reference population. The relationships between fat content and disease activity support the complex association between adipose tissue and inflammation.