Integrated and Ayurveda standalone interventions compared with standalone modern care in Rheumatoid arthritis: Observations from a non-random, parallel group, open label, historical control study

Abstract

Background

Rheumatoid arthritis patients frequently visit Ayurveda clinics. Many such patients arrive at Ayurveda clinics after getting a trial of conventional modern medicine and being unsatisfied with the responses. In real world setting, many of these patients prefer to continue modern medicine along with Ayurveda interventions. This patient pool forms a very specific population of RA.

Objective

The study was aiming at observing the benefits of adding Ayurveda interventions to ongoing modern medicine or Ayurveda alone intervention in those who preferred to stop modern medicine.

Material and method

It was a non-random, single center, parallel group, open label, historical control observational study where the past modern intervention was taken up as the historical control for all those who continued with Ayurveda alone or integrated intervention. The outcome assessment was done on the basis of Swollen Joint count, Tender joint count, VAS score, Patient Global Assessment, ESR and DAS-28. Both intergroup and intragroup comparison of all parameters was done.

Results

31 patients who were included in the study (17 in Ayurveda alone group and 14 in integrated management group) were compared for all outcomes within the group and also for inter group. These observations were also compared with historical control. Except historical control, both active intervention groups were found to have statistically significant improvements in pre-post analysis. An intergroup comparison was not able to find any significant difference except for DAS-28 which was found significantly different in three groups.

Conclusion

Ayurveda interventions in RA are found to be more effective comparing to modern interventions alone observed through historical control. Integrative management of RA comprising of Ayurveda and modern standard care is only marginally better than Ayurveda alone and is much better than modern alone intervention in RA.