[Alternative treatment of patients with rheumatism. The extent, effect and utilization of resources]

An anonymous questionnaire investigation involving 393 rheumatological patients showed that 185 patients (47%) had tried alternative treatment (52% of the women and 33% of the men). The three forms of treatment most commonly employed were chiropractor treatment, zone therapy and acupuncture. The 185 patients had, on an average, tried 2.2 types of treatment and 30% had tried more than two forms of treatment. One third of the patients had tried alternative treatment before or simultaneously with medical treatment while the remaining 2/3 had received medical treatment from weeks up to several years. The sources of information about alternative treatment were, most frequently, friends and relatives (70%) while in 16%, the general practitioner was the source. Only 58% replied to the question about the effect of the alternative treatment. Out of these, 56% had experienced improvement, 41% stated that there was no effect and 2% stated that deterioration had occurred. On an average, the patients had employed 2,444 Danish crows (approximately 200 pounds) for the alternative treatment. In addition, 6% stated that had spent more than 10,000 Danish crowns (approximately 833 pounds). It is concluded that alternative treatment frequently constitutes a considerable economical stress for the patients. Greater frankness and a increased level of information about the alternative forms of treatment are necessary.