Personalized exercise therapy during targeted drug therapy tapering in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a pilot randomized controlled trial - PubMed
3 days ago
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- #rheumatoid arthritis
- #drug therapy tapering
- Personalized exercise therapy (ET) plus usual care during targeted drug therapy (TT) tapering was safe and feasible, with high adherence.
- No significant difference was found between groups in maintaining remission/low disease activity; 75% in the ET group vs. 81.3% in the control group.
- Transient increase in physician-assessed disease activity at week 8 in the ET group, but returned to baseline by week 16.
- Physical activity and step counts tended to increase in the ET group, but mental health scores declined.
- No serious adverse events occurred, but careful monitoring and psychological support are recommended during TT tapering.
- The pilot study was not powered for efficacy, indicating the need for larger trials to evaluate long-term safety and effectiveness.