Rheumatoid Arthritis
Conditions
Keywords
rheumatoid arthritis, exercise, damage
Brief summary
Aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness (functional ability and physical capacity) and safety (disease activity and damage of the joints) of long-term high-intensity weight-bearing exercises in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).The training proved to be safe and effective.
Detailed description
The 300 patients with RA were randomized into two groups; exercise group and usual care group. The patients who participated in the 2 years intensive exercise training (2 times a week, training duration 65 minutes) improved their functional capacity and functional ability without detrimental effects on the large joints damage or on disease activity. Only patients with excessive large joint damage at baseline were at risk to develop additional damage when participating in intensive weight-bearing exercises. Patients who exercised were able to delay the decrease of bone mineral density of the hips.
Interventions
PROCEDURElong-term intensive exercise
Sponsors
Dutch Health Care Insurance Board
Leiden University Medical Center
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
17 Years to 70 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Rheumatoid arthritis
Exclusion criteria
* Prosthesis of a weight bearing joint
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| effectiveness: | — |
| primary outcome:functional ability;MACTAR;6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months | — |
| safety: | — |
| damage of the large joints (Larsen score); each year | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| effectiveness: | — |
| disease activity (DAS) each 3 months | — |
| muscle strength (strength of extensors of the knee); each 3 months and | — |
| aerobic fitness (ergometer); each 3 months | — |
| Safety: | — |
Outcome results
None listed