EFFECTIVENESS OF SPECIALIZED HAND/FACE PHYSICAL-OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS - PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF A ONE-YEAR CONTROLLED STUDY
Abstract
Compared to the observed statistically significant deterioration in the CG, we found a statistically significant improvement in the IG in objectively assessed function and strength of hand, distance between incisors and functional ability (SHAQ) (Table). Only numerical improvements in the IG during the intervention compared to numerical deterioration in CG that did not reach statistical significance were observed in subjectively assessed hand function and mouth handicap, functional ability (HAQ) and in some domains of QoL (SF-36) and fatigue (FIS - cognitive function).
During the follow-up period, there was a significant deterioration or stagnation of the achieved positive results in the IG.