S. Sukenik et al., Balneotherapy at the Dead Sea area for patients with psoriatic arthritis and concomitant fibromyalgia, ISR MED ASS, 3(2), 2001, pp. 147-150
Background: Balneotherapy has been successfully used to treat various rheum
atic diseases, brit has only recently been evaluated for the treatment of f
ibromyalgia. Since no effective treatment exists for this common rheumatic
disease, complementary methods of treatment have been attempted.
Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of balneotherapy both fibromyalgia
and psoriatic arthritis.
Methods: Twenty-eight patients with psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia we
re treated with various modalities of balneotherapy at the Dead Sea area. C
linical indices assessed were duration of morning stiffness, number of acti
ve joints,a point count of 18 fibrositic tender points, and determination o
f the threshold of tenderness in nine fibrositic and in four control points
using a dolorimeter.
Results: The number of active joints was reduced from 18,4 +/- 10.9 to 9+/-
8.2 (P<0.001). The number of tender points was reduced from 12.6 +/- 2 to 7
.1+/-5 in men (P< 0.003) and from 13.1 +/- 2 to 7.5 +/- 3.7 in women (P<0.0
01). A significant improvement was found in dolorimetric threshold readings
after the treatment period in women (P< 0.001). No correlation: was observ
ed between the reduction in the number of active joints and the reduction i
n the number of tender points in the same patients (r=0.2).
Conclusions: Balneotherapy at the Dead Sea area appears to produce a statis
tically significant substantial improvement in the number of active joints
and tender points in both male and female patients with fibromyalgia and ps
oriatic arthritis. Further research is needed to elucidate the distinction
between the benefits of staying at the Dead Sea area without balneotherapy
and the effects of balneotherapy in the study population.