A recent analysis of the Black Women's Health Study shows that obesity as a teenager may be associated with increased risk of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in adulthood.
The precise relationship between obesity and SLE risk remains unclear. Past studies have largely assessed the risk of SLE in white women, even though black women have a higher prevalence of both obesity and SLE.
In the current study, researchers analyzed the correlations between body mass index (BMI) and incident SLE within the Black Women's Health Study.
Overall, they found that adult obesity was not related to SLE risk, when comparing BMI ≥30 to normal BMI. But obesity at age 18 was associated with an increased risk of SLE in adulthood (HR 2.38, 95% CI 1.26-4.51). Further studies are necessary to understand this association.
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