Next Article in Journal
Increased Fecal Calprotectin Is Associated with Worse Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Quality of Life Scores in Children with Cystic Fibrosis
Previous Article in Journal
Prognostic Value of Troponin Elevation in COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients
Previous Article in Special Issue
The Active with OsteoArthritis (AktivA) Physiotherapy Implementation Model: A Patient Education, Supervised Exercise and Self-Management Program for Patients with Mild to Moderate Osteoarthritis of the Knee or Hip Joint. A National Register Study with a Two-Year Follow-Up
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
Journals
JCM
Volume 9
Issue 12
10.3390/jcm9124077
jcm-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Edit a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share announcement question_answer thumb_up
...
textsms
...
Article

Addition of Lymphatic Stimulating Self-Care Practices Reduces Acute Attacks among People Affected by Moderate and Severe Lower-Limb Lymphedema in Ethiopia, a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

by
Jan Douglass
1,*,
Fikre Hailekiros
2,
Sarah Martindale
1,
Hayley Mableson
1,3,
Fikre Seife
4,
Tesfahun Bishaw
4,
Mekdes Nigussie
4,
Kadu Meribo
4,
Mossie Tamiru
4,
Getnet Agidew
4,
Susan Kim
5,
Hannah Betts
1,
Mark Taylor
1 and
Louise Kelly-Hope
1
1
Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
2
National Podoconiosis Action Network, Addis Ababa 1000, Ethiopia
3
Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
4
Diseases Prevention and Control Directorate, Federal Ministry of Health, Addis Ababa 1000, Ethiopia
5
College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
J. Clin. Med. 2020, 9(12), 4077; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9124077
Received: 2 December 2020 / Revised: 11 December 2020 / Accepted: 14 December 2020 / Published: 17 December 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Management and Health Promotion in Chronic Disease)
View Full-Text Download PDF
Browse Figures

Abstract

Lymphedema causes disability and exacerbates poverty in many countries. The management of lymphatic filariasis (LF) and podoconiosis-related lymphedema involves daily hygiene to reduce secondary infections, but self-massage and deep-breathing, which have proven beneficial in cancer-related lymphedema, are not included. A cluster randomized trial in northern Ethiopia investigated the effects of lymphatic stimulation for people affected by moderate to severe lymphedema. Participants were allocated to either standard (control n = 59) or enhanced (intervention n = 67) self-care groups. Primary outcomes were lymphedema stage, mid-calf circumference, and tissue compressibility. Secondary outcomes were the frequency and duration of acute attacks. After 24 weeks, fewer patients were assessed as severe (control −37.8%, intervention −42.4%, p = 0.15) and there were clinically relevant changes in mid-calf tissue compressibility but not circumference. There was a significant between-group difference in patients who reported any acute attacks over the study period (control n = 22 (38%), intervention n = 7 (12%), p = 0.014). Daily lymphedema self-care resulted in meaningful benefits for all participants with a greater reduction in acute episodes among people performing lymphatic stimulation. Observations of a change in lymphedema status support earlier findings in Bangladesh and extend the demonstrated benefits of enhanced self-care to people affected by podoconiosis. View Full-Text
Keywords: lymphedema; lower limb; filariasis; podoconiosis; self-care; breathing; exercise; skin mobilisation; lymphatic massage lymphedema; lower limb; filariasis; podoconiosis; self-care; breathing; exercise; skin mobilisation; lymphatic massage
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Supplementary Material

SciFeed

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Douglass, J.; Hailekiros, F.; Martindale, S.; Mableson, H.; Seife, F.; Bishaw, T.; Nigussie, M.; Meribo, K.; Tamiru, M.; Agidew, G.; Kim, S.; Betts, H.; Taylor, M.; Kelly-Hope, L. Addition of Lymphatic Stimulating Self-Care Practices Reduces Acute Attacks among People Affected by Moderate and Severe Lower-Limb Lymphedema in Ethiopia, a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. J. Clin. Med. 2020, 9, 4077. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9124077

AMA Style

Douglass J, Hailekiros F, Martindale S, Mableson H, Seife F, Bishaw T, Nigussie M, Meribo K, Tamiru M, Agidew G, Kim S, Betts H, Taylor M, Kelly-Hope L. Addition of Lymphatic Stimulating Self-Care Practices Reduces Acute Attacks among People Affected by Moderate and Severe Lower-Limb Lymphedema in Ethiopia, a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2020; 9(12):4077. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9124077

Chicago/Turabian Style

Douglass, Jan, Fikre Hailekiros, Sarah Martindale, Hayley Mableson, Fikre Seife, Tesfahun Bishaw, Mekdes Nigussie, Kadu Meribo, Mossie Tamiru, Getnet Agidew, Susan Kim, Hannah Betts, Mark Taylor, and Louise Kelly-Hope. 2020. "Addition of Lymphatic Stimulating Self-Care Practices Reduces Acute Attacks among People Affected by Moderate and Severe Lower-Limb Lymphedema in Ethiopia, a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial" Journal of Clinical Medicine 9, no. 12: 4077. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9124077

Find Other Styles
Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Article Access Map by Country/Region

1
Back to TopTop