FAQ-15

15) Does HBOT help people with Rheumatoid Arthritis?

There has been some research in this area, and as the scientific abstract suggests, "HBOT therapy may be an effective treatment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis."

Nippon Seikeigeka Gakkai Zasshi, 1985, Jan, 59(1):17-26"Superoxide dismutase and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for the patient with rheumatoid arthritis." Kamada, T.

Cu, Zn-SOD values were measured by enzyme immunoassay in the synovial fluid, leukocytes in the synovial fluid, synovial membrane, and leukocytes in the blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. SOD activity, lipoperoxide value in serum, ESR, and Lansbury's index of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis under Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) were also investigated. SOD values of synovial fluid and of leukocytes in synovial fluid from the rheumatoid arthritis group were found to be higher than those from the osteoarthritis group. No significant difference was found in the SOD values in leukocytes of blood and synovial membrane between the two groups. In the patients with rheumatoid arthritis under HBOT therapy the SOD activity was increased, whereas lipoperoxide values were decreased. Furthermore, ESR and Lansbury's index showed a remarkable recovery. These results suggest that HBOT therapy may be an effective treatment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

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