Follow-up of clinical activity and comparison with other groups in rheumatoid arthritis patients using dietary and food additives

Follow-Up Of Clinical Activity And Comparison With Other Groups In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Using Dietary And Food Additives AIM: In this study, the effects of the use of curcumin extract on laboratory parameters and clinical disease activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients were investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 60 women aged 30-60 years who have been followed up with the diagnosis of RA in the outpatient clinic of the Department of Rheumatology, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of Sakarya University, receiving methotrexate 10 mg/week, prednisolone 5-7.5 mg/day and folic acid 5mg/week treatment for at least 12 weeks. We retrospectively analyzed the use of curcumin in his patient. We included 30 patients who used 2x125 mg curcumin extract for 2 months as the curcumin group and 30 patients who did not take any food supplement as the control group. Erytrocyte Sedimantation Rate (ESR) and C- Reactive Protein (CRP) values of the curcumin group, number of tender and swollen joints, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Disease Activity Score28-ESR (DAS28- ESR) scores, Sleep Hygiene Index, Fatigue Severity Scale, Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life Scale (RAQoL), Duruöz Hand Index scores, and baseline morning stiffness. We evaluated the changes in the 2nd month and 4th month. We compared it to the control group. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in the duration of morning stiffness, VAS, HAQ and DAS28-ESH scores, number of sensitive joints, Sleep Hygiene Index, Fatigue Severity Scale, RAQoL and Duruöz Hand Index scores in the 2nd month compared to baseline in the curcumin group. There was no statistically significant difference between the 2nd month and the 4th month. Improvement in the number of swollen joints occurred at 4 months from baseline. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the baseline and the 2nd month in ESR and CRP values. The duration of morning stiffness, VAS scores, tender joint count, DAS28-ESH, Sleep Hygiene Index, Fatigue Severity Scale, HAQ, RAQoL and Duruöz Hand Index scores were found to be significantly lower in the curcumin group compared to the control group. There was no statistically significant difference in ESR, CRP values and the number of swollen joints. CONCLUSION: Treatment of RA patients is long and costly. In RA patients, curcumin supplementation provides a dynamic state to patients by reducing pain and fatigue, improving joint findings and functionality. Adding curcumin supplement to medical treatment seems to be beneficial for patients to reach remission. Keywords: Dietary, curcumin, rheumatoid arthritis