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Rheumatology Advance Access originally published online on September 24, 2007
Rheumatology 2007 46(11):1672-1675; doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kem247
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Effectiveness of rehabilitation in active ankylosing spondylitis assessed by the ASAS response criteria

E. Lubrano, S. D’Angelo1, W. J. Parsons, G. Corbi2, N. Ferrara2, F. Rengo and I. Olivieri1

Rheumatology & Rehabilitation Research Unit, Maugeri Foundation IRCCS, Research Institute for Rehabilitative Medicine, Telese Terme, 1Rheumatology Department of Lucania, S. Carlo Hospital of Potenza and Madonna delle Grazie Hospital of Matera and 2Department of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy.

Correspondence to: E. Lubrano, Via Bagni Vecchi, Telese Terme (BN), 82037, Italy. E-mail: enniolubrano{at}hotmail.com


  Abstract

Objective. To assess the effectiveness of rehabilitation in a group of patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) by the Assessment in Ankylosing Spondylitis (ASAS) Working Group response criteria.

Methods. Fifty-two active AS patients consecutively admitted to a rehabilitation inpatient clinic were enrolled. Patients underwent a 3-week intensive rehabilitation programme and were then discharged with home exercises. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of patients achieving a response based on ASAS 20 at discharge, and at 6 and 12 weeks after. Secondary outcome measures included an improvement in the Revised Leeds Disability Questionnaire (RLDQ) and function expressed as anthropometric measures.

Results. The ASAS 20 was achieved in 46 patients (88.5%) at the end of the rehabilitation, in 31 (59.6%) and in 17 (32.7%) patients at 6 and 12 weeks follow-up, respectively. The percentage of ASAS 20 responders statistically declined over time measured from the end of rehabilitation compared with 6 (P < 0.001) and 12 weeks follow-up (P < 0.001).

Conclusion. The present study shows the effectiveness of rehabilitation as assessed by the ASAS 20, a validated instrument for treatment response, suggesting its usage in rehabilitation settings. Moreover, the results obtained show that the effectiveness of the intensive inpatient rehabilitation declined over time.

KEY WORDS: Ankylosing spondylitis, ASAS response criteria, Rehabilitation, Physical therapy, Disability

Submitted 10 July 2007; revised version accepted 9 August 2007.
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