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Health-related quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis: therapeutic education plus pharmacological treatment versus pharmacological treatment only

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank F. Segura, R. Cervera, and D. Buss for their help and advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rheumatology Department, Musculoskeletal Clínic Institute (ICAL), Hospital Clínic, Villarroel 170, 08036, Barcelona, Spain

    Montserrat Núñez, Carmen Yoldi, Mª Victoria Hernández & José Muñoz-Gómez

  2. Health Services Sants-Montjuïc, Institut Català de la Salut, Numancia, 23, 08024, Barcelona, Spain

    Esther Núñez

  3. Epidemiology and Statistic Departament, Biomedical Research Institute August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Hospital Clínic, Villarroel 170, 08036, Barcelona, Spain

    Llorenç Quintó

Authors
  1. Montserrat Núñez
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  2. Esther Núñez
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  3. Carmen Yoldi
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  4. Llorenç Quintó
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  5. Mª Victoria Hernández
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  6. José Muñoz-Gómez
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Correspondence to Montserrat Núñez.

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Núñez, M., Núñez, E., Yoldi, C. et al. Health-related quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis: therapeutic education plus pharmacological treatment versus pharmacological treatment only. Rheumatol Int 26, 752–757 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-005-0071-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-005-0071-6

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