Annals of the rheumatic diseases
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Management of osteoarthritis (OA) with an unsupervised home based exercise programme and/or patient administered assessment tools. A cluster randomised controlled trial with a 2x2 factorial design.
Diary recording of pain and disabling activities in osteoarthritis (OA) is widely recommended, but, to our knowledge, its impact on symptoms has not been investigated. Exercise programmes have been shown to be effective when patients are closely supervised by nurses or physiotherapists; however, data are lacking on the efficacy of an unsupervised home based exercise regimen in patients with OA. ⋯ Although patients' assessments favoured the exercise programme, results from this study failed to demonstrate a short term symptomatic effect of the two non-pharmacological treatments (weekly recording of condition and exercise) in patients with OA concurrently receiving nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Prediction of a major clinical response (BASDAI 50) to tumour necrosis factor alpha blockers in ankylosing spondylitis.
TNFalpha blockers have been shown to be highly efficacious in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS). ⋯ A shorter disease duration, younger age, and a lower BASFI are predictors of a major clinical response to TNF blockers in active AS. Raised CRP and a higher BASDAI may also be valuable predictors. These data need to be confirmed in further studies.