Rheumatism and wIRA Therapy

Excerpt

Rheumatologic disorders comprise various conditions having different etiologies and pathogenesis, the leading clinical symptoms of which are chronic joint pain and musculoskeletal impairment. In the context of a multimodal therapy concept, the use of hyperthermia (HT) is a classical and developing adjuvant symptomatic treatment option. wIRA is an effective and well-established variant of thermal therapy in different rheumatologic disorders. This article summarizes the current state of research into locally applied wIRA in the field of rheumatism and rheumatological diseases.

Local and serially applied wIRA significantly relieves pain in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), osteoarthritis (OA) and fibromyalgia (FM), which, at least reduces the requirement for analgesics and has positive effects on well-being, functional status or disease activity. wIRA has been shown to reduce levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and proinflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα). Given its safety and tolerability, wIRA is highly amenable in combination with standard therapies.

Currently, wIRA effects are assessed in OA patients, non-inflammatory arthralgia and recent-onset arthritis of the hands. Preliminary data on effects on pain, global disease burden and functional status are promising. The potential value of wIRA, for e.g., Raynaud’s phenomena and sclerotic skin changes, need further evaluation.