Effects of multidisciplinary rehabilitation in a patient with Ehlers-Danlos and Behçet's syndromes: a paradigmatic case report according to the narrative medicine

• Published in: Disability and rehabilitation Vol. 46; no. 20; p. 4687
• Main Authors: de Sire, Alessandro, Marotta, Nicola, Drago Ferrante, Vera, Calafiore, Dario, Ammendolia, Antonio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.10.2024
• Subjects: Adult; Behcet Syndrome - rehabilitation; Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome - complications; Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome - rehabilitation; Female; Humans; Narrative Medicine; Quality of Life; behçet’s disease; Narrative medicine; rehabilitation; quality of life; hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
• ISSN: 1464-5165
• DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2023.2283104

Narrative Medicine complements the clinically centered approach, which focuses on the analytical and sanitary aspects, with the illness- and disorder- centered models, which deal respectively, with personal coping and social perception of a condition. Hypermobile Ehlers- Danlos Syndrome and Behçet's Disease are two rare multisystemic chronic disease experienced a myriad of clinical symptoms, psychological distress, and poor quality of life. The purpose of this report is to describe application of a multidisclipinary rehabilitation intervention according to the narrative medicine. a 35-year-old woman with a 23-year history of Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Behçet's Disease was admitted. A multimodal rehabilitation approach was implemented and described through the patient's feelings and expected short-, medium-, and long- terms goals. Moreover, she reported her feeling with periodical interview by her therapist. The patient was seen for 32 weeks. A decreased pain, as well as improved function was recorded immediately post-intervention. Narration is not just an interpretation of the illness experience, but the result of reshaping the interpretations of the story that both patient and health professional. This discipline provides enrichment of care, especially when combined with rehabilitation in chronic disease, by paying attention to and using even in the therapeutic phase the stories of patients, family and health care personnel, giving the opportunity to define a tailored effectiveness rehabilitation approach at the light of the different points of view of the subjects.