Feasibility and Safety of Acupuncture for Systemic Lupus

University of Pittsburgh24 enrolled

Overview

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate whether acupuncture is safe and acceptable to people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Twenty-four SLE patients were assigned randomly to receive either 10 sessions of acupuncture, 10 sessions of a minimal-needling control intervention, or their usual medical care alone. It was hypothesized that acupuncture would be safe for people with SLE, and that participants would be able to complete their assigned treatment within 5 to 6 weeks.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Interventions

AcupuncturePROCEDURE

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * diagnosed with SLE, 18 years old or older, pain duration at least 3 times per week for at least 3 months, medications and doses stable for the past month, able to speak, read, and understand English, and provide informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * known pregnancy, active uncontrolled organ involvement, steroid dose greater than 10 mg per day, platelets \< 100,000, previous course of acupuncture treatment.

Locations (2)

UPMC General Clinical Research Center

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

UPMC Shadyside Center for Integrative Medicine

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Safety (side effect and adverse event rates), protocol adherence (expected 80% of sessions completed on time)

Time frame: 6 weeks

Secondary Outcomes

pre-post treatment effect size estimates for self-reported pain and fatigue

Time frame: 6 weeks

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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