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Combination Treatment with Etanercept and an Intensive SPA Rehabilitation Program in Active Ankylosing Spondylitis

2009; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 22; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1177/039463200902200430

2058-7384

Matteo Colina, Giovanni Ciancìo, R. Garavini, Marta Helena Souza De Conti, Francesco Trotta, Marcello Govoni,

Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and Therapies

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of a combination treatment with etanercept and spa rehabilitation versus etanercept alone on function, disability and quality of life in a group of patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Sixty patients with AS underwent etanercept as suggested by ASAS/EULAR recommendations. As the clinical and laboratory conditions improved, 30 patients accepted the proposal of coupling the medical therapy with a 7-day rehabilitation program in a thermal baths centre; the remaining 30 subjects continued to take the biologic agent alone. The comparisons between the 2 groups were made after 3 and 6 months. The primary outcome was an improvement in BASFI. The secondary outcome was an improvement in the visual analogic scale of EuroQol (EQ-5Dvas). After 6 months a statistically significant improvement in BASFI (p < 0.05) and EQ-5D VAS (p < 0.05) scores was observed in both groups. The mean change in EQ-5D VAS value showed a statistically significant difference in favour of the combination therapy group versus the monotherapy group (22 vs 32, p < 0.05). A therapeutic regimen combining etanercept with an intensive rehabilitation program contributes to disability reduction and ameliorates quality of life for AS patients.