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- Volume 82,Issue Suppl 1
- AB1173 PARAFFIN BATH REDUCES PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH HAND OSTEOARTHRITIS
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Osteoarthritis
AB1173 PARAFFIN BATH REDUCES PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH HAND OSTEOARTHRITIS
- F. De Azevedo1,
- A. Souza Filho1,
- R. Nunes1,
- C. R. Silveira2,
- J. E. Fonseca3,
- F. A. Castro Rocha1
- 1Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal do Ceara, Internal Medicine, Fortaleza, Brazil
- 2Instituto Sao Carlos de Medicina e Pesquisa, Radiology, Fortaleza, Brazil
- 3Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de Lisboa, Centro Académico de Medicina de Lisboa, Portugal, Rheumatology, Lisboa, Portugal
Abstract
Background In addition to the lack of disease modifying treatments in osteoarthritis (OA), there is also a need for safer and efficacious treatments for pain relief. Patients with hand osteoarthritis (HOA) experience pain that can be incapacitating, which is usually unresponsive to painkillers. Non-pharmacological alternatives are an interesting option for pain relief in HOA.
Objectives to demonstrate that paraffin baths (PB) provide safe, significant, clinically meaningful pain relief in HOA patients.
Methods (CAAE:07360819930015045) 67 patients with HOA diagnosis according to ACR criteria were prospectively recruited from March 2020 to August 2022 (interruptions due to COVID pandemic) in private rheumatology services and randomized to receive either 20 min daily sessions of PB, 3 times/week for 4 weeks or a leaflet with information for protection of hand joints (control, C). Baseline demographic, clinical and radiographic (Kellgren-Lawrence, KL score) data were registered. The evaluator was blinded to group allocation. Primary endpoint was 15% reduction of pain on movement (0-10 VAS, visual analogue scale) in the most affected joint of the hand at baseline as compared to pain value at 4w; secondary endpoints were sustained pain reduction at 12w as compared to baseline, increase in grip and pinch strength (KgF) as well as improvement in Cochin hand functional scale (CHFS), FIHOA, and SF-12 scores at 12w as compared to baseline.
Results baseline characteristics of 34 paraffin and 33 control patients are shown in Table 1; three patients in each group did not return for follow up at 4 weeks; median disease duration was 58(range 3-360) months in both groups; Primary outcome was reached: baseline pain in PB (7.8±1.9) was reduced to 6.4±2.7 (p<0.017) whereas baseline pain in C (7.1±1.8) was not significantly reduced at 4w (6.9±1.9; p=0.7067); reduction of pain in PB was significantly sustained at 12w (6.3±2.9) (p=0.0196). Grip and pinch strength as well as CHFS, FIHOA, and SF-12 scores were similar both at baseline and at 12 weeks in both groups. There were no major adverse events.
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Table 1.
Baseline characteristics
Conclusion PB in a single-blinded prospective randomized trial provided early and sustained pain reduction in HOA. Although larger trials are needed, we believe that spreading of this cheap, easy-to-use method, should be encouraged.
REFERENCES: NIL.
Acknowledgements: NIL.
Disclosure of Interests None Declared.
- Osteoarthritis
- Non-pharmacological interventions
- Clinical trials
Statistics from Altmetric.com
- Osteoarthritis
- Non-pharmacological interventions
- Clinical trials
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