The aim of this commentary is to discuss from a rehabilitation perspective the Cochrane Review "Exercise therapy for chronic low back pain" (1) by Hayden JA, Ellis J, Ogilvie R, Malmivaara A and van ...Tulder MW 1 published by Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group. This Cochrane Corner is produced in agreement with Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine by Cochrane Rehabilitation with views* of the review summary authors in the "implications for practice" section.
This summary is based on a Cochrane Review previously published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2021, Issue 9, Art. No.:CD009790, DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009790.pub2 (see www.cochranelibrary.com for information). Cochrane Reviews are regularly updated as new evidence emerges and in response to feedback, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews should be consulted for the most recent version of the review.
* The views expressed in the summary with commentary are those of the Cochrane Corner author (different than the original Cochrane Review authors) and do not represent the Cochrane Library or Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine.
Vitamin D is beneficial in patients with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases as it has been shown that it lowers the incidence risk and the level of inflammation. To examine the association between ...clinical outcomes and initial 25-hydroxyvitamin D 25(OH)D concentrations in patients with the immune-mediated rheumatic diseases treated with infliximab for 9 months. This study was performed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treated with infliximab for at least 38 weeks. Disease activity was assessed using Disease Activity Score (DAS28) for RA and PsA and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) for AS, while the global assessment was performed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Patients were divided into 2 groups according to 25(OH)D concentration which was classified as deficient or non-deficient (below and above 50 nmol/L, respectively). Concentrations of infliximab (IFX) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured according to the manufacturer’s instructions.This study was performed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treated with infliximab for at least 38 weeks. Disease activity was assessed using Disease Activity Score (DAS28) for RA and PsA and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) for AS, while the global assessment was performed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Patients were divided into 2 groups according to 25(OH)D concentration which was classified as deficient or non-deficient (below and above 50 nmol/L, respectively). Concentrations of infliximab (IFX) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The study included 23 patients (14 with RA, 6 with AS and 3 with PsA), median age 54 years, 15 females. Vitamin D deficient and non-deficient groups had median initial concentrations of 38 and 61 nmol/L, respectively. DAS28 and pain on VAS calculated at the 2nd and 38th week showed a statistically significant decrease only in RA and PsA patients with vitamin D deficiency (
P
= 0.02 and 0.06, respectively). Lower initial concentration of 25(OH)D in patients treated with infliximab was associated with better improvement of clinical measures (DAS28 and VAS) of disease after 9 months of therapy.
Osteoporotski prijelomi predstavljaju velik teret kako za bolesnika tako i za zdravstveni sustav, uključujući visoke direktne i indirektne troškove. Starenjem stanovništva njihova se pojavnost ...povisuje. Prepoznavanje potrebe za liječenjem osteoporoze i posljedičnih prijeloma je nedostatno, a učinkovitost slaba uslijed relativno visokog stupnja nesuradljivosti (perzistencije i adherencije) na terapiju. Prethodni prijelom jedan je od najznačajnijih čimbenika rizika za sljedeći prijelom. Stoga se pojavila potreba za sustavnim strategijama sekundarne prevencije,
koje su razvijene i provode se u brojnim zemljama kroz programe naziva Servis povezan s prijelomom (engl. Fracture Liaison Service, skr. FLS). FLS uključuje zdravstvene stručnjake različitih profila, a ključnu ulogu ima koordinator. Identifikacija bolesnika s niskoenergetskim prijelomom polazišna je točka procesa FLS-a, a sam proces funkcionira na temelju utvrđenog postupnika. Tijekom hospitalizacije provodi se ciljana dijagnostička obrada, procjena rizika za sljedeće prijelome, edukacija bolesnika i njegovih bližnjih/skrbnika, a daju se preporuke za
temeljnu i specifičnu farmakološku antiosteoporotsku terapiju te za druge mjere i postupke (npr. fizikalna terapija, vježbe), uključujući modifikaciju čimbenika rizika i prevenciju padova. Svi nalazi te napose preporuke moraju biti jasno navedene u otpusnom pismu i komunicirane svim članovima tima, kao i liječniku obiteljske medicine. Važno je redovito praćenje tih bolesnika, uz naglasak na suradljivosti kao preduvjetu za uspjeh liječenja i sprječavanje novih prijeloma. Na temelju programa FLS koji je ustanovljen u Kliničkom bolničkom centru Sestre milosrdnice u
Zagrebu, grupa eksperata je konsenzusom predložila ključne elemente, ulogu pojedinih članova multidisciplinarnog tima i postupnik FLS-a HDFRM, s izborom prijeloma u području kuka kao indeksnog prijeloma. Prijedlog je dobio potvrdu na sastanku stručnog društva. Pritom se pridržavalo osnovnih načela FLS-a, identifikacije pacijenata s prijelomom, odgovarajuće evaluacije i individualizirane procjene rizika za sljedeći prijelom, promptnosti početka liječenja i praćenja bolesnika s osiguranjem kontinuiteta terapije. Ovaj dokument o stajalištu (engl. position paper) temeljni je dokument za FLS u hrvatskoj fizijatrijskoj zajednici te vjerujemo da će pridonijeti smanjenju morbiditeta, mortaliteta i sveukupnih zdravstvenih izdataka povezanih s osteoporotskim prijelomima.
Nonpharmacological interventions are one of the mainstreams of treatment for patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA). They include education, measures regarding joint protection, posture and rest, ...therapeutic exercise, physical therapy modalities, orthoses, and acupuncture. A key component in the rehabilitation of patients with SpA entities is therapeutic exercise, which can be performed as land-based or water-based. Positive effects of the exercises are manifested in reducing pain, maintaining mobility, improving posture, increasing aerobic capacity and improving quality of life. The best effects can be obtained when exercise is performed under the supervision of a physiotherapist at a health institution. The majority of studies on therapeutic exercise in SpA are related to ankylosing spondylitis (AS), while there is a paucity of studies devoted to other conditions. Although progress has been made in the quantity and quality of research on this topic, there are still issues regarding the quality of studies and considerable variability among them, which makes it difficult to compare different methods and harmonize and develop rehabilitation protocols according to evidence-based medicine.
The aim of the study was to determine the serum vitamin D levels in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and compare it with patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and with osteoarthritis (OA), ...as well as to explore the relationship of the vitamin D level with indices of disease activity and functional ability in a real-life setting in a South-European country.
In a cross-sectional study, 120 adult patients with established diagnosis of PsA, RA and OA were consecutively enrolled. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and intact parathyroid hormone were determined. Parameters of disease activity and functional ability were obtained using standard instruments.
Serum vitamin D insufficiency (≤ 75 nmol/L) was found in 74% of patients with PsA, 94% patients with RA and 97% of patients with OA, whereas vitamin D deficiency (≤ 25 nmol/L) was found in 13% of patients with PsA, 39% of patients with RA and in 38% of patients with OA. Compared with RA, patients with PsA had significantly higher serum vitamin D (P = 0.002), and when controlling for age and gender, their serum vitamin D level was significantly associated with disease activity and functional activity.
In the group of rheumatic patients, a high prevalence of serum vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency was found regardless of the type of arthritis. Patients with PsA might have higher levels of vitamin D than patients with RA, and this was associated with disease activity and functional ability. The results of this study indicate that prophylactic supplementation with vitamin D might be recommended for all rheumatic patients.
Vitamin D plays important role in inflammatory rheumatic diseases, which in turn rose an interest for investigating association of its deficiency with disease activity. In this research we aimed to ...evaluate this matter in the context of spondyloarthritis (SpA), together with treatment modalities and bone density in people diagnosed with axial or peripheral SpA in real-life setting. In our study we enrolled 99 patients with diagnosis of SpA treated at the tertiary level rheumatology department. Serum 25(OH)D levels, treatment modality (NSAIR or DMARDs), disease activity, tobacco smoking habits, mineral density of bone, supplementation and seasonal variations were assessed. We used standardized questionnaires such as ASDAS-CRP, BASFI and joint count, among many others, to evaluate some of the mentioned parameters. Sixty-five percent of patients had vitamin D deficiency. We found marginaly higher activity of disease in subjects with low vitamin D. In cases of peripheral SpA, there was a significant association of higher number of swollen joints and lower vitamin D levels. Additionally, the significant correlation was seen between normal serum vitamin D and supplementation. In our real-life study of patients with SpA we found a significant percentage of vitamin D deficit, with a tendency of slightly higher disease activity in those patients.In order to clarify the impact of the vitamin on disease activity in SpA and the supplementation recommendations for patients with these conditions, the conduction of further studies is required.Vitamin D plays important role in inflammatory rheumatic diseases, which in turn rose an interest for investigating association of its deficiency with disease activity. In this research we aimed to evaluate this matter in the context of spondyloarthritis (SpA), together with treatment modalities and bone density in people diagnosed with axial or peripheral SpA in real-life setting. In our study we enrolled 99 patients with diagnosis of SpA treated at the tertiary level rheumatology department. Serum 25(OH)D levels, treatment modality (NSAIR or DMARDs), disease activity, tobacco smoking habits, mineral density of bone, supplementation and seasonal variations were assessed. We used standardized questionnaires such as ASDAS-CRP, BASFI and joint count, among many others, to evaluate some of the mentioned parameters. Sixty-five percent of patients had vitamin D deficiency. We found marginaly higher activity of disease in subjects with low vitamin D. In cases of peripheral SpA, there was a significant association of higher number of swollen joints and lower vitamin D levels. Additionally, the significant correlation was seen between normal serum vitamin D and supplementation. In our real-life study of patients with SpA we found a significant percentage of vitamin D deficit, with a tendency of slightly higher disease activity in those patients.In order to clarify the impact of the vitamin on disease activity in SpA and the supplementation recommendations for patients with these conditions, the conduction of further studies is required.
