The clinical impact of cranial treatment on the quality of life of a coeliac disease patient: a single case study.
Item
- Title
- The clinical impact of cranial treatment on the quality of life of a coeliac disease patient: a single case study.
- Author(s)
- Feihl, J
- Abstract
- Background: Coeliac disease is a common life-long autoimmune disease in the Western population, characterized by hypersensitivity to the protein gluten leading to a widely variable range of intra and extra-intestinal symptoms To date, the only treatment option is adherence to a strict gluten free diet, which is known to have negative impact on the quality of life of the patient. Effectiveness of osteopathy in the cranial field (OCF) in chronic diseases has been demonstrated in a few studies, but none has been done in the case of coeliac disease. Objective: To investigate the potential influence of cranial osteopathic treatment on the quality of life and the symptoms of a coeliac patient. Design: ABA single-case research design Methods: A coeliac disease patient was recruited within the European School of Osteopathy student population. Quality of life was reported daily via the EQ5D, EQVAS questionnaires and fortnightly via the coeliac disease specific questionnaire. The subject recorded daily bowel movements with the BSS scale. The study lasted 14 weeks, baseline observation during five weeks (phase A) was followed by the intervention (phase B), which consisted in four treatment sessions over one month, and then a post-.intervention period of five weeks (phase Al). The treatment approach chosen was osteopathy in the cranial field. Results: All measured outcomes showed significant improvement post intervention. The CDQ showed a total improvement of 83 points and significant P values between phases A-B (p = 0.0448) and A-Al (p = 0.0038). The EQ5D questionnaire revealed normalization of all modalities within two weeks of intervention. Bowel movements were abnormal (either constipation or diahrroea), on 94% of days pre-intervention and 40% post-intervention (p = 0.0001). Discussion: Limitations of the present study include its single case nature and the lack of control for numerous confounding factors such as, the Hawthorne effect and the fact that the subject was not naTve to OCF. Nevertheless the data point to a possible positive impact of OCF on the quality of life in coeliac disease. Conclusion: The therapeutic potential of osteopathy in the cranial field in the management of coeliac disease deserves to be further explored.
- presented at
- European School of Osteopathy
- Date Accepted
- 2016
- Date Submitted
- 2.12.2016 17:29:04
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Submitted by:
- 62
- Pub-Identifier
- 15941
- Inst-Identifier
- 1229
- Keywords
- Coeliac disease, Health related quality of life, Osteopathy in the cranial field.
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Feihl, J, “The clinical impact of cranial treatment on the quality of life of a coeliac disease patient: a single case study.”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.osteopathicresearch.org/s/orw/item/540