아로마요법이 류마티스 관절염 환자의 통증과 염증반응에 미치는 효과

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of a 4-week aromatherapy on pain and inflammation in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: A quasiexperimental study using a nonequivalent control group, pretest-posttest non-synchronized design was used. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, independent samples t-test, and Fisher's exact test were used. Results: After a 4-week aromatherapy, tender joint count (M=5.67 to 4.17), swollen joint count (M=4.13 to 2.54), and patient's assessment of pain (M=43.33 to 31.08) decreased significantly for the aromatherapy participants compared to the control group. But there was no significant difference between the groups in erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Conclusion: These findings suggest that aromatherapy could decrease joint pain, tenderness, and swelling in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, but some modifications in aromatherapy intervention and research method will be required to examine the effects of aromatherapy on inflammatory level in this population.