The clinical picture of rheumatoid arthritis covers the condition of chronic inflammation connected to the increased concentration of inflammatory mediators, reduced physical activity, immobilization caused by pain, stiffness and joint destruction as well as accompanying hormonal and metabolic disorders. It all may lead to extra-articular complications, also to the loss of muscle mass with the weakness of muscle strength, adding to the disability and significantly lowering the patients' quality of life. Sarcopenia is an advanced form of muscle mass loss which constitutes an independent and vital threat for dexterity. Attempts are made to define and classify sarcopenia basing on the measurements of muscle mass where the examinations are conducted by the method of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, absorptiometry of two X-ray beams of various energies, electric bioimpedance and anthropometric methods. The data gained in few studies conducted in order to estimate the reduction of muscle mass in patients with rheumatoid arthritis confirm the significant increase of sarcopenia occurence in this group. Procedure with rheumatoid arthritis covers primarily treatment of the inflammatory process with traditional and biological medicaments that modify the course of illness. Such treatment seems to diminish the risk of equal sarcopenia occurrence. The effectiveness of using anabolic medicaments and high protein diet has not been proved. Currently, regular physical activity including aerobic exercise and exercises with load is considered a good method of muscle mass loss prevention and a procedure in case of confirmed muscle mass loss.
Keywords: body composition measurement; rheumatoid arthritis; sarcopenia.