Abstract
Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the main causes of disability worldwide. Currently, controversy remains about the best therapeutic alternatives such as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and conventional medicine (CM) for this disease when evaluated from a cost effectiveness viewpoint.
 Objective: To examine the cost effectiveness of CAM and CM in the treatment of RA.
 Materials and method: The data were collected from Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Government Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College Hospital from August 2008 to February 2009 by primary sources in the study. Total 60 patients were included who had been treated for six months. Patients were assessed with EuroQol 5D (EQ-5D) tool.
 Results: The outcome is more effective in CAM than CM by EuroQol 5D. The EQ-5D average outcome of CAM is 0.239 and CM is 0.202. The cost of CAM is also lower than that of CM.
 Conclusion: Our results support that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a more cost-effective option, compared to the conventional medicine for the treatment of RA.
 Delta Med Col J. Jul 2019 7(2): 76-79
Highlights
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes joint pain and leads to disability
The CDC reported an estimated 22.7% (54.4 million) of adults had doctor-diagnosed arthritis and prevalence is more in women (23.5%) than in men (18.1%) aged ≥18 years from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) years 2013-2015.1 The World Health Organization (WHO) and International League of Associations of Rheumatology (ILAR) initiated the COPCORD project in 1981 to control rheumatic diseases by both prevention and treatment.[2]
The data were collected among rheumatoid arthritis patients treated in Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and Government Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College Hospital (GUAMCH) of Bangladesh by primary sources in the study
Summary
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes joint pain and leads to disability. Controversy remains about the best therapeutic alternative for this disease when evaluated from a cost-effectiveness viewpoint. It is very essential to assess cost effective treatment option for RA. Two treatment alternatives were compared: complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and conventional. Controversy remains about the best therapeutic alternatives such as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and conventional medicine (CM) for this disease when evaluated from a cost effectiveness viewpoint. Results: The outcome is more effective in CAM than CM by EuroQol 5D. Conclusion: Our results support that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a more cost-effective option, compared to the conventional medicine for the treatment of RA.
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