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New Guideline Stresses Exercise for Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) recently released a new set of guidelines to include information about integrating exercise, rehabilitation, diet, and additional interventions to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The new summary acts as a complementary guide to the ACR’s 2021 guideline for the treatment of RA, which focused on pharmacologic therapies for patients.
“Together with pharmacologic treatment options, exercise, rehabilitation, diet, and additional integrative interventions are considered as potential adjunctive treatments for RA. Patients and clinicians often seek evidence-based insight into these treatment options,” said Benjamin J. Smith, who is the co-principal investigator of the guideline. “Recognizing the need to support patients and clinicians when considering treatments to complement their pharmacologic regimen, the ACR developed this guideline.”
Out of the 28 recommendations in the guideline, the “strong” recommendation was to exercise. The investigators recommended any kind of exercise over no exercise. While the guideline didn’t spell out any particular type of exercise, or its frequency, intensity or duration—it emphasized on simply “moving regularly.” Specific elements of exercise may be modified according to each patient’s disease progression, capabilities and other health conditions, the investigators said.
Besides 4 recommendations on exercise, there are 13 about rehabilitation, 3 about diet and 7 about additional integrative interventions.
Regarding diet, the guideline recommended adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet while endorsing an increased intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and olive oil and advising cutting down on added sugars, sodium, highly processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and saturated fats.
Integrating interprofessional care of occupational therapists, physical therapists, and dietitians was vital in providing optimal care to people with RA, according to the new guideline recommendations.
—Priyam Vora
Reference:
2022 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Guideline for Exercise, Rehabilitation, Diet, and Additional Integrative Interventions for Rheumatoid Arthritis. News Release. American College of Rheumatology; November 8, 2022.
