Community intervention in management of ankylosing spondylitis / 中华全科医师杂志

ABSTRACT

Sixty five patients with of ankylosing spondylitis were randomly divided into intervention group (n =32) and control group (n =33).Patients in control group received conventional treatment only ;in addition to conventional treatment,patients in intervention group also received community intervention,including health education,psychological counseling and joint function exercise.The treatment lasted for 6 months,29 patients in intervention group and 28 in control group completed the trial.The results showed that the spinal motion (flexion,extension,lateral bending),chest expantion,finger to floor distance,occiput to wall gap in intervention group were better improved than those in control group after treatment (P ＜ 0.05).The scores of self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) were lower in intervention group than those in control group after treatment (P ＜ 0.05).The results indicate that community intervention can effectively improve spinal mobility,reduce spinal deformity; relieve the anxiety and depression and improve the quality of life for patients with ankylosing spondylitis.