The efficacy of a multidisciplinary fibromyalgia treatment adapted for women with low educational levels: A randomised, controlled trial
Arthritis Care & Research , 08/20/2012
Castel A et al. – Multidisciplinary treatment adapted for individuals with low educational levels is effective in reducing key symptoms of fibromyalgia. Some improvements were maintained one year after completing the multidisciplinary treatment.
Methods- Inclusion criteria: female gender, having the diagnosis of FM (American College of Rheumatology criteria), being between 18 and 60 years of age and having between three and eight years of schooling.
- Patients were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment conditions: conventional pharmacological treatment or multidisciplinary treatment.
- Outcomes measures were functionality, sleep disturbances, pain intensity, catastrophizing and psychological distress.
- Analysis was by intention to treat and missing data were replaced following the baseline observation carried forward method.
- 155 participants were recruited.
- No statistical significant differences were found between the two experimental groups on pre-treatment measures.
- Overall statistics comparison showed a significant difference between the two groups in all variables studied (p < .0001).
- Mixed linear model demonstrated the superiority of the multidisciplinary treatment in all the studied variables at post-treatment.
- The differences were maintained at 12 month follow-up in sleep disturbances (p < .0001), catastrophizing (p < .0001) and psychological distress (p < .01).
