Hands on - a Hand Care Guide in Systemic Sclerosis

University of Campinas, Brazil

Status: Completed

Conditions: Scleroderma

Treatments: Other: Handbook

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02610842

UOP01

Details and patient eligibility

About

Hands are commonly affected in Systemic Sclerosis (SS). The objective of this research is to apply a home based hand care guide in patients with SS and to evaluate its response regarding hand pain, function, strength and mobility.

Full description

Introduction: Hands are commonly affected in Systemic sclerosis (SS). Skin thickening, Raynaud phenomenon, digital ulcers and cutaneous calcinosis may result in pain, disability and claw deformity. Strategies to improve hand function are recommended since its diagnosis and throughout the treatment. Unfortunately hand care assistance is not often available. The objective of this study was to developed a brief guide about hand care and home-based exercises to be applied in our outpatient clinic.

Methods: A brief program , with instructions about the disease and home-based exercises will be applied in a group patients with Systemic Sclerosis (SS) during the period of 12 weeks. Hand function (Cochin Hand and Functional Scale), disability (HAQ-Scleroderma), quality of life (SF-36 hand pain (visual analogue scale), grip and pinch strength, hand mobility (delta finger) will be assessed in the first appointment and after twelve weeks.

Enrollment: 27 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 75 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Diagnosis of Systemic Scleroderma according to the American College of Rheumatology (Criteria Committee, Arthritis Rheum. 2013).
• Involvement of hands with skin thickening.
• Interest in participating in the investigation
• Ability to read and to answer the the proposed questionnaires

Exclusion criteria

• Upper limb commitment due other reasons other than Systemic Sclerosis.
• Presence of digital ulcers, hand deformities or conditins that impede the realization of the proposed exercises
• Clinical manifestations that impede the performance of the proposed exercises

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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27 participants in 1 patient group

Handbook group

Experimental group

Description:

Patients will receive a home based program named "Hands on" - a hand care guide in Systemic Sclerosis" which includes a handbook with instructions about the disease and hand exercises. Patients will be asked to follow the program instructions and carry out the exercises daily during the following 12 weeks.

Treatment:

Other: Handbook