{
  "abstract": "Introduction Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease with a high morbidity burden and can lead to considerable functional impairments with a major impact on patients’ quality of life. Non-pharmacological therapies are increasingly recognized for their role in improving function and quality of life. Although short-term benefits of these interventions have been reported, current evidence is limited by small sample sizes, variable methodologies, and a lack of long-term data.The aim of this study is to establish a research database that systematically documents patients’ health status along with inpatient and outpatient non-pharmacological interventions such as physical therapies (e.g. hyperthermia, manual lymphatic drainage), physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy.Material and Methods All patients included in this study suffer from SSc according to the 2013 ACR/EULAR classification criteria. Participants are evaluated at admission and discharge from a 4-week rehabilitation programme. Functional assessments include endurance (6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT)), perceived exertion (Borg Scale (BS)), hand functionality (Nine-Hole Peg Test (NHPT)) and Coin Rotation Test (CRT), and hand strength (dynamometer). Patients complete patient-reported outcome measures to assess their physical and psychological health (Scleroderma Health Assessment Questionnaire (SHAQ) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)). For each assessment, the mean and standard deviation are calculated, and statistical analysis are performed using a paired Student’s t-test.Results To date, 22 patients have been enrolled in the study (mean age 60.2+/-17.1 years, 82% female). Following the 4-week inpatient rehabilitation program, walking distance significantly improved (6MWT +45 meters, p = 0.02), perceived exertion decreased (BS from 3.3 to 2.7 points), hand strength increased (from 18.0 kg to 19.1 kg), and hand function improved (NHPT from 3.8 to 4.0 points and CRT 22.7 seconds to 17.6 seconds). Patients reported improvement in physical health status (SHAQ from 1.1 to 1.0 points) and a deterioration in psychological well-being (HADS 10.5 to 11.3 points).Conclusions Preliminary results of this study underline the importance of non-pharmacological therapies in im-proving functional parameters. Systematic evaluation of non-pharmacological therapies help identi-fy patient-specific criteria for tailoring therapeutic strategies during rehabilitation, taking into account the highly individualized disease trajectories in patients with SSc.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Reha Rheinfelden - Research Department, Rheinfelden, Switzerland"
      ],
      "name": "Nicole Nyfeler"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Reha Rheinfelden - Research Department, Rheinfelden, Switzerland",
        "Bern University of Applied Sciences - School of Engineering and Computer Science, Bern, Switzerland"
      ],
      "name": "Frank Behrendt"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Reha Rheinfelden - Research Department, Rheinfelden, Switzerland",
        "Bern University of Applied Sciences - School of Engineering and Computer Science, Bern, Switzerland",
        "University of Basel - Department for Sport, Exercise and Health, Basel, Switzerland"
      ],
      "name": "Corina Schuster-Amft"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Reha Rheinfelden - Research Department, Rheinfelden, Switzerland",
        "Muenster University Hospital - Department of Medicine, Muenster, Germany"
      ],
      "name": "Ulrich Gerth"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Reha Rheinfelden - Research Department, Rheinfelden, Switzerland"
      ],
      "name": "Zorica Suica"
    }
  ],
  "title": "P.278 Effects of non-pharmacological therapies in systemic sclerosis: a longitudinal observational study",
  "uid": "17059a3d-653b-52d5-b674-504b9995e22c"
}