Abstract
Interleukin-6 inhibitors (IL-6i) are commonly used in patients with rheumatoid arthritis to reduce inflammation from chronically increased IL-6. IL-6 levels increase transiently following exercise, exerting numerous positive effects. This study examined if beneficial exercise-induced cardiac adaptations were attenuated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in concomitant IL-6i treatment compared with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors. Compared with control, we found that the tumor necrosis factor inhibitor-treated group, but not the IL-6i group, had a significant increase in left ventricular mass following 12 weeks of supervised exercise. However, the interaction effect of treatment modalities on exercise-induced cardiac adaptations was insignificant. (Exercise-induced Cardiac Adaptions in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients During IL-6 vs TNF Antibody Therapy; NCT05215509).