Impact of iyengar yoga on quality of life in young women with rheumatoid arthritis.
OBJECTIVE
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, disabling disease that can greatly compromise health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a 6-week twice/week Iyengar yoga program on HRQoL of young adults with RA compared with a usual-care waitlist control group.


METHODS
The program was designed to improve the primary outcome of HRQoL including pain and disability and psychological functioning in patients. Assessments were collected pretreatment, posttreatment, and at 2 months after treatment. Weekly ratings of anxiety, depression, pain, and sleep were also recorded. A total of 26 participants completed the intervention (yoga=11; usual-care waitlist=15). All participants were female (mean age=28 y).


RESULTS
Overall attrition was low at 15%. On average, women in the yoga group attended 96% of the yoga classes. No adverse events were reported. Relative to the usual-care waitlist, women assigned to the yoga program showed significantly greater improvement on standardized measures of HRQoL, pain disability, general health, mood, fatigue, acceptance of chronic pain, and self-efficacy regarding pain at posttreatment. Almost half of the yoga group reported clinically meaningful symptom improvement. Analysis of the uncontrolled effects and maintenance of treatment effects showed improvements in HRQoL general health, pain disability, and weekly ratings of pain, anxiety, and depression were maintained at follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that a brief Iyengar yoga intervention is a feasible and safe adjunctive treatment for young people with RA, leading to HRQoL, pain disability, fatigue, and mood benefits. Moreover, improvements in quality of life, pain disability, and mood persisted at the 2-month follow-up.
*Pediatric Pain Program, Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine †Department of Rheumatology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA.
Subhadra
S
Evans
Mona
M
Moieni
Kirsten
K
Lung
Jennie
J
Tsao
Beth
B
Sternlieb
Mihaela
M
Taylor
Lonnie
L
Zeltzer
D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D052580:Muscle Stretching Exercises / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015013:Yoga; D055815:Young Adult