The Life Quality of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Seeking Spa Radon Therapy: A Pilot Study
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Dear Editor-in-Chief
Rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive autoimmune disease that causes stiffness of joint, pain, and swelling (1, 2). The incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (per 1,000 inhabitants) in Slovak population was 0.1–0.2 in 2008 (for men) and 0.2–0.4 (for women) (3). “The arthritis patient–medical encounters will be effective when public health efforts of arthritis are successful” (4).
The aim of the study was to analyze the spa radon therapy effect in rheumatoid arthritis patients. In the study sample were rheumatoid arthritis patients (n=50) treated in Radon spas (21 days) in the Czech Republic.
The standardized questionnaire was collected from 2013 to 2016. The mean age of the rheumatoid arthritis patients was 62.1 years.
In this pilot study, the standardized health-related quality of life questionnaire was used (5). The statements in the survey instrument are divided into eleven subscales: physical functioning, role physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role emotional, mental health, overall physical health, overall mental health and overall quality of life. The questions in standardized questionnaire were evaluated in scale 0–100 (100=the highest level of quality of life).
Rheumatoid arthritis patients (males and females) were significantly more satisfied with quality of life after spa radon therapy in subscales: role physical (P<0.001), bodily pain (P<0.05), vitality (P<0.05), role emotional (P<0.001), overall physical health (P<0.05), overall mental health (P<0.05) and overall quality of life (P<0.05) (Table 1). The positive effect of spa radon therapy was confirmed.
Table 1:
Quality of life in rheumatic arthritis patients before and after spa therapy according to gender (n=50)
| Subscales | Mean score x | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males (n = 25) | Females (n = 25) | |||
| Before a spa therapy | After a spa therapy | Before a spa therapy | After a spa therapy | |
| Physical Functioning | 66.7 | 72.1 | 60.8 | 67.9 |
| Role Physical | 36.2 | 52.4** | 36.2 | 51.2** |
| Bodily Pain | 38.1 | 55.7* | 41.2 | 54.7* |
| General Health | 36.5 | 46.2 | 40.8 | 48.2 |
| Vitality | 48.2 | 61.2* | 49.3 | 59.3* |
| Social Functioning | 59.1 | 62.3 | 51.7 | 61.3 |
| Role Emotional | 61.8 | 82.5** | 53.2 | 70.5** |
| Mental Health | 62.8 | 68.2 | 55.8 | 62.3 |
| Overall Physical Health | 44.4 | 56.6* | 44.8 | 55.5* |
| Overall Mental Health | 58.0 | 68.6* | 52.5 | 63.4* |
| Overall Quality of Life | 51.2 | 62.6* | 48.6 | 59.4* |
Footnotes
Conflict of interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests.