Effects of Major Ozone Autohemotherapy on Physical Functionality and Quality of Life in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Prospective Cross-sectional Study.

CONTEXT

No specific treatment exists for fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), and usually patients continue to experience pain indefinitely and their quality of life decreases. Major ozone autohemotherapy (MAH) is a complementary treatment for FMS that stimulates the body's antioxidant system.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to prospectively evaluate the effects of MAH on pain, quality of life, and general health status in FMS.

DESIGN

The research team designed a prospective cross-sectional study.

SETTING

The study took place at the algology clinic at Mersin University in Yenişehir, Mersin, Turkey.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants were 40 patients with FMS, aged 18 to 65, who were admitted to the clinic between February 15 and August 15, 2019.

INTERVENTION

Participants completed 13 sessions of major ozone autohemotherapy (MAH), two sessions per week in the first five weeks and one session per month for the remaining three months. In the following three months, the last administered dose was repeated.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Patients completed the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) and the Quality of Life-short form (SF-36), at baseline (PRE), at five weeks after 10 sessions of MAH (PT), at 9 weeks after 11 sessions (PT1), and postintervention at 17 weeks after 13 sessions (PT3).

RESULTS

Significant improvement in FIQ and SF-36 scores was observed in all periods compared to the previous period (P < .05). Between two consecutive measurements the most prominent improvements in both FIQ scores (P < .001) and SF-36 scores was observed between baseline and the PT period (P < .001). Significant improvement also occurred in all SF36 subscale scores between PT and PT3 (P ≤ .02).

CONCLUSIONS

The study was the first to demonstrate the efficacy of MAH for fibromyalgia patients as found using FIQ and SF-36 questionnaires repeated at certain intervals. The study found that MAH provided improvements in quality of life and general health status for FMS patients.