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Fig. 5 | Bioelectronic Medicine

Fig. 5

From: Investigational treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with a vibrotactile device applied to the external ear

Fig. 5

The effect of vibrotactile treatment at the cymba concha in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. (a) The DAS28-CRP scores, (b) The visual analog scores in nine RA patients enrolled in the prospective interventional study. DAS28-CRP scores indicate a composite score of enumeration of swollen and tender joints, measurement of high-sensitivity CRP in serum, and scores on the visual analog scale, a validated patient-reported assessment of functional status and well-being. These data were obtained at day 0 (pre-treatment), day 2 and day 7 (post-treatment) following vibrotactile treatment at the cymba concha. Lines connect data points for the DAS28-CRP score of each individual study participant at these timepoints. Hashed lines indicate the cut-off points for categories of disease severity. A DAS score of less than 2.6 indicates remission; a score between 2.6 and 3.2 indicates low/minimal disease activity; a score between 3.2 and 5.1 indicates moderate activity; a score of more than 5.1 is considered high/severe disease activity (Fransen and van Riel 2009; Anderson et al. 2012). The significance of the change by RMANOVA using Friedman test between visits is shown: *p < 0.05 vs. day 0; **p < 0.01 vs. day 0)

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