Health-related quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis: therapeutic education plus pharmacological treatment versus pharmacological treatment only.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether therapeutic education added to conventional drug therapy reduced disability and pain in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).


METHODS
Fourty-three patients with RA, 29F/14 M, were included in a randomized, controlled trial and assigned to a control group receiving conventional pharmacological treatment only (n=21), or an intervention group receiving therapeutic education added to conventional pharmacological treatment (n=22). The main outcome variable was self-reported disability on the Stanford health assessment questionnaire (HAQ).


RESULTS
At 18 months, patients in the intervention group had less disability (HAQ), pain intensity, number of tender and swollen joints, and patient's and physician's global assessments (p=0.003, 0.031, 0.003, 0.001, 0.014, and 0.004, respectively) compared with baseline, and improvements in disability and number of tender and swollen joints (p=0.024, 0.040, and 0.003, respectively), compared with controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients receiving pharmacological treatment and therapeutic education had a better evolution than those receiving only pharmacological treatment.
Núñez
Montserrat
M
Rheumatology Department, Musculoskeletal Clínic Institute (ICAL), Hospital Clínic, Villarroel 170, 08036, Barcelona, Spain. mnunez@clinic.ub.es
Núñez
Esther
E
Yoldi
Carmen
C
Quintó
Llorenç
L
Hernández
Ma Victoria
MV
Muñoz-Gómez
José
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents