In 2022 the Royal Adelaide Hospital conducted a clincal trial to see the effacts that our glove liners have patients with Raynaud’s Phenomenon in Systemic Sclerosis. The conclusion was that the Avert 2.0 Glove liners statistically and clinically significant reduction in daily RCS (Raynaud’s Condition Score). The study can be found here: https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/use-of-heated-gloves-for-raynauds-phenomenon-in-systemic-sclerosis/
You can view the Avert Battery Heated Glove Liners here:
In basic terms, the article read.
What they wanted to know (Background/Purpose):
People with SSc often have problems with blood flow in their fingers when they get cold. This is a big issue for them. We know that keeping warm helps, but this study wanted to see if heated gloves are better than just doing what people normally do to stay warm.
How they did it (Methods):
- They took a group of people who have SSc and experience Raynaud’s.
- They split them into two groups randomly, like flipping a coin.
- Group 1 (Gloves then Usual): This group used heated gloves for 28 days. Then, they stopped for a week (a “washout” period). After that, they went back to their usual way of dealing with the cold for another 28 days (which could include regular, non-heated gloves).
- Group 2 (Usual then Gloves): This group did the opposite. They started with their usual cold-weather routine for 28 days, had a week off, and then used the heated gloves for 28 days.
- Everyone kept taking their regular medications throughout the study.
- They asked the participants to keep a daily diary to track:
- How bad their Raynaud’s was each day (using a special score called RCS).
- How many hours they wore the gloves.
- Details about their Raynaud’s attacks (how many and how long).
- If they were remembering to take their medicine.
- They also checked how well the participants could use their hands (Cochin Hand Function Scale) and how much their condition affected their daily activities (HAQ-Disability Index) at the beginning and end of each 28-day period.
- The main thing they wanted to measure was the average daily Raynaud’s Condition Score (RCS) over the 28 days for when people used the heated gloves compared to when they didn’t.
- They did some math to figure out how many people they needed in the study to get reliable results (that’s the “power calculation”).
- They also used some fancy statistical methods to make sure the order in which people used the gloves didn’t mess up the results.
What they found (Results):
- 26 people finished the study.
- People in the group that used the heated gloves first wore them for about 4.8 hours a day, while the group that used them second wore them for about 2.7 hours a day.
- Overall, when people used the heated gloves, their average daily Raynaud’s score (RCS) was significantly lower (meaning their Raynaud’s was better) compared to when they were using their usual methods.
- People also had fewer Raynaud’s attacks when they used the heated gloves.
- When they had an attack while using the heated gloves, it didn’t last as long.
- However, the heated gloves didn’t seem to make a difference in how well people could use their hands or how much their condition affected their daily activities.
- A few people mentioned some minor side effects like dry skin or feeling the gloves were too hot.
What it means (Conclusion):
The researchers concluded that heated gloves are effective and safe for reducing the symptoms of Raynaud’s in people with SSc. They think heated gloves could be a good way to help manage this condition, either on their own or along with other treatments.
Basically, this study suggests that heated gloves can really help lessen the cold finger problems that people with SSc often experience.
