Abstract
Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory rheumatic disease. RA symptoms make the disease disabling and strongly impact the quality of life of patients. Among the available forms of treatment, balneotherapy seems to be one of the most common forms of nonpharmacological treatment for rheumatic disease. The aim was to explore the effectiveness of balneotherapy for improving the quality of life of patients with RA. Methods: Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science and The Cochrane library were searched for randomized or clinical controlled trials published in English or Spanish until May 2021. Risk of bias of included articles were assessed using the Cochrane tool. A total 535 records were retrieved, and seven met the inclusion criteria. All the included studies showed statistically significant improvements in the quality of life of patients who received balneotherapy treatment despite differences in treatment administration. Sessions should be approximately 20 min long and use natural mineral waters enriched with elements, or mud, at a water temperature between 35–38 °C. Conclusions: Balneotherapy benefits the quality of life of people with RA. The obtained results show positive effects for both mineral bathing and immersion in sand or mud on the quality of life of people who suffer from RA.
Highlights
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common inflammatory chronic disease [1].Globally, the proportion of prevalent cases in 2017 was 1.3%, but varies slightly across countries [2]
All these inclusion and exclusion criteria were chosen based on the PICO research strategy and the international PRISMA guidelines, following clinical (AR is mainly an adult disease with significant differences in the juvenile population; quality of life is one of the most important variables affected by AR) and methodological criteria
Balneotherapy seems to improve the quality of life of patients with RA
Summary
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common inflammatory chronic disease [1].Globally, the proportion of prevalent cases in 2017 was 1.3%, but varies slightly across countries [2]. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common inflammatory chronic disease [1]. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory rheumatic disease. RA symptoms make the disease disabling and strongly impact the quality of life of patients. Among the available forms of treatment, balneotherapy seems to be one of the most common forms of nonpharmacological treatment for rheumatic disease. The aim was to explore the effectiveness of balneotherapy for improving the quality of life of patients with RA. All the included studies showed statistically significant improvements in the quality of life of patients who received balneotherapy treatment despite differences in treatment administration.
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