Cochrane · systematic review · CD000518
Balneotherapy (or spa therapy) for rheumatoid arthritis
Verhagen, AP, Bierma‐Zeinstra, SMA, Boers, M, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2015 · Cochrane Library
MusculoskeletalAMSTAR 2: not assessed
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
23
current version
GRADE rated
12
No studies
11
Included studies
NR
No studies 11 · 47.8%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 8 · 34.8%Low 2 · 8.7%Moderate 2 · 8.7%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Balneotherapy compared with placebo for participants with rheumatoid arthritis
Population: participants with rheumatoid arthritis
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Pain intensity VAS, 0‐100 (no pain to worst pain ever) Balneotherapy vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 45 participants | Very low Downgraded: imprecision |
Improvement Yes/no based on 5 outcome measures (> 30% reduction in number of swollen joints, > 30% reduction in number of tender joints, > 20% improvement in patient VAS for severity of pain and > 20% improvement in physician VAS) Balneotherapy vs placebo | RR 0.96 [0.54, 1.7] | 1 study · 45 participants | Very low Downgraded: imprecision |
Physical disability Not reported Balneotherapy vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Tender joints Number of painful joints Scale from 0 to 28 Balneotherapy vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 45 participants | Very low Downgraded: imprecision |
Swollen joints Number of swollen joints Scale from 0 to 28 Balneotherapy vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 45 participants | Very low Downgraded: imprecision |
Withdrawal due to serious adverse events Not reported Balneotherapy vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Adverse events Not reported Balneotherapy vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Additional radon in carbon dioxide baths compared with carbon dioxide baths only for participants with rheumatoid arthritis
Population: participants with rheumatoid arthritis
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Pain intensity VAS, 0‐100 mm (no pain to worst pain ever) Additional radon in carbon dioxide baths vs carbon dioxide baths only | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 194 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision |
Pain intensity VAS, 0‐100 mm (no pain to worst pain ever) Additional radon in carbon dioxide baths vs carbon dioxide baths only | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 194 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision |
Improvement More than 1 category change in pain intensity on 4‐point scale (no pain/sporadic/daily/continuous) Additional radon in carbon dioxide baths vs carbon dioxide baths only | RR 1.38 [0.64, 2.93] | 1 study · 60 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision |
Improvement More than 1 category change in pain intensity on 4‐point scale (no pain/sporadic/daily/continuous) Additional radon in carbon dioxide baths vs carbon dioxide baths only | RR 2.29 [1.1, 4.74] | 1 study · 60 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision |
Physical disability Not reported Additional radon in carbon dioxide baths vs carbon dioxide baths only | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Tender joints Not reported Additional radon in carbon dioxide baths vs carbon dioxide baths only | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Swollen joints Not reported Additional radon in carbon dioxide baths vs carbon dioxide baths only | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Withdrawal due to serious adverse events Not reported Additional radon in carbon dioxide baths vs carbon dioxide baths only | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Adverse events Not reported Additional radon in carbon dioxide baths vs carbon dioxide baths only | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Balneotherapy compared with drug treatment for participants with rheumatoid arthritis
Population: participants with rheumatoid arthritis
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Pain intensity VAS, 0‐100 mm (no pain to worst pain ever) Balneotherapy vs drug treatment | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 57 participants | Very low Downgraded: imprecision |
Improvement Global improvement on 5‐point scale (very good/good/fair/poor/very poor) Balneotherapy vs drug treatment | RR 2.35 [1.44, 3.83] | 1 study · 57 participants | Very low Downgraded: imprecision |
Physical disability Not reported Balneotherapy vs drug treatment | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Tender joints Number of tender joints Scale from 0 to 28 Balneotherapy vs drug treatment | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 57 participants | Very low Downgraded: imprecision |
Swollen joints Number of swollen joints Scale from 0 to 28 Balneotherapy vs drug treatment | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 57 participants | Very low Downgraded: imprecision |
Withdrawal due to serious adverse events Not reported Balneotherapy vs drug treatment | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Adverse events Not reported Balneotherapy vs drug treatment | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |