Clinical efficacy of spa treatment of various duration in patients with arterial hypertension (pilot study)

Introduction. One of the important issues at present is the scientific substantiation of the optimal duration of spa treatment for the most common diseases. Arterial hypertension (AH) is the most common risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, which are the leading cause of mortality in the Russian Federation.

Aim. To compare the clinical efficacy of spa treatment in patients with AH lasting 7, 14, 18 and 21 days.

Materials and methods. An open prospective randomized clinical study of 50 patients with hypertension was conducted. The patients were divided into 4 comparable groups depending on the duration of spa treatment: 7, 14, 18, 21 days. Before and after treatment, a general clinical examination, electrocardiography (ECG), Holter ECG monitoring, daily blood pressure monitoring, biochemical blood test, 6-minute walk test, testing using the quality of life test and the hospital anxiety and depression scale were performed. The treatment included diet therapy, lifestyle modification (smoking cessation, increased daily physical activity) and basic drug therapy, therapeutic exercise, dosed walking along terrain cure routes, dry gas-air carbon dioxide baths (Reabox, Russia), exposure to low-frequency magnetic therapy (Magnetomed 8400, Italy) and sinusoidal modulated currents (Intelect advanced, USA), manual massage.

Results. А statistically significant decrease in blood pressure and heart rate was noted in patients with a 7-day SCL period, an increase in exercise tolerance and quality of life in patients in the 7-day SCL groups, which were maintained during treatment periods of 14, 18 and 21 days.

Conclusion. The revealed dynamics of clinical indicators at different SCL periods and the assessment of the long-term spa treatment outcomes after one year will create a basis for developing a differentiated approach to determining the optimal spa treatment duration.

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