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Evaluation of the Effect of Acupuncture on Hand Pain, Functional Deficits and Health Related Quality of Life in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

NCT02553005 · Status: UNKNOWN · Phase: EARLY_PHASE1 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 90

Last updated 2015-09-29

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory disease characterized by functional disability and pain. Although acupuncture is widely used, western acupuncture studies on RA show no conclusive positive result. Acupuncture is regarded as a reflex therapy, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diagnosis was shown to be an individual neurovegetative state allowing to individually allocated acupoints. Positive results were reported using a classical diagnostic procedure to allocate acupoints to the patient according to the Shang Han Lun. The investigators are interested if acupuncture compatible with this ancient theory would be successful in improve hand function in RA patients.

The investigators therefore developed a prospective randomized control trial in a three-armed parallel group design with a standardized treatment intervention. Only patients with the TCM diagnosis of a so-called Turning Point syndrome will be allowed in the experimental phase. This may harmonize TCM diagnosis and the standardized intervention, in order to optimize potential therapeutic effects.

Conditions

  • Acupuncture

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Acupuncture

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Coimbra

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Susana Seca, MSc · University of Coimbra

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2015-05-31
Primary Completion
2015-10-31
Completion
2017-06-30

Countries

  • Portugal

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02553005 on ClinicalTrials.gov