Improvement of Pain Symptoms in Musculoskeletal Diseases After Multimodal Spa Therapy in the Austrian Gastein Valley-A Study Based on Longitudinal Registry Data.

Objective: The study aim was to investigate the course of pain in rest and motion in seven different rheumatic diseases (RMD), prior and after multimodal spa therapy including low-dose radon treatment and at 3-, 6-; and 9-month follow up. Methods: Complete data from the radon indication registry including information on 561 subjects with RMD were analysed to explore the association of timepoint of measurement with pain in rest and motion. For this purpose, linear regression models adjusted for RMD-type, age, sex and body mass index (BMI) were applied. Results: The mean age of the sample was 55 years, the average body mass index was 26.8, and 275 subjects were women. Pain scores were significantly improved at all-time points compared to baseline. Pain courses were different for each RMD with the largest improvement seen in fibromyalgia. Conclusion: Timing spa facility visits according to RMD-specific pain courses may result in sustained pain reduction.

Sustained improvements in EQ-5D utility scores and self-rated health status in patients with ankylosing spondylitis after spa treatment including low-dose radon - an analysis of prospective radon indication registry data.

BACKGROUND: Patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have significantly lower quality of life (QoL) than the general population. Holistic interventions addressing QoL comprise spa- or balneotherapy including radon. These interventions have shown to be beneficial in reducing pain and improving QoL in AS-patients. We explored the association of spa-therapy including low-dose radon with QoL in AS-patients over an extended time period. METHODS: Registry data collected for the "Radon indication registry" in the Austrian Gastein valley comprising data on QoL (EuroQol EQ-5D) directly before the treatment (baseline), directly(t1), 3 (t2); 6(t3) and 9(t4) months after the treatment, age, sex and body mass index (BMI) were analysed. Linear regression models explored the association of measurement time with 1) EQ-5D-5L utilities and 2) EuroQol visual analogue scale (VAS) score. Alterations of 0.05 (utilities) and 5.00 (VAS) were considered clinically relevant. RESULTS: Two-hundred-ninety-one AS-patients were included in the analyses. Forty-four percent (n = 128) were women, the mean age was 52 (SD 10) and the average BMI was 26 (SD 4). Utilities (t1: 0.09 [0.07;0.11]; t2: 0.08 [0.06; 0.10]; t3: 0.06 [0.05;0.09]; t4: 0.04 [0.02;0.06]) and VAS (t1: 11.68 [9.38; 13.97]; t2: 12.20 [9.78; 14.61]; t3: 9.70 [7.24; 12.17]; t4: 6.11 [3.57; 8.65]) were significantly higher at all timepoints compared to baseline. Improvements were clinically relevant at all timepoints in case of the VAS and until 6 months after treatment for the utilities. CONCLUSION: AS-patients who received spa therapy including radon show significantly and clinically relevant improvements in Qol until 6-9 months after treatment.