Department of Biobehavioral Nursing Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Department of Human Development Nursing Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Acupunct Med. 2021 Dec;39(6):612-618. doi: 10.1177/09645284211017303. Epub 2021 Jun 3.
Chronic pain is a common symptom experienced among patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Our aims were to assess the feasibility and acceptability of performing acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain in adults with SCD.
This was a single-arm, prospective pilot study of six adults with SCD. Participants reported ⩾ 3 months of chronic pain and were > 18 years of age. Per protocol, acupuncture was to be administered twice per week for 5 weeks, for 30 min per session. All treatments were performed in the acupuncture treatment laboratory at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing. Pain intensity, pain interference, and other symptoms were measured at baseline and after the intervention. Participants completed a semi-structured interview and a protocol acceptability questionnaire after the acupuncture intervention.
Six participants (mean age 52.5 years, six Black) were enrolled. Although the study was suspended due to COVID-19 and not all participants completed the 10-session protocol, completion rates were high with no missed appointments. One participant did not complete the study due to hospitalization unrelated to acupuncture. No adverse events were reported. At completion of the intervention at 4-5 weeks post-baseline, all participants had reduced pain intensity and pain interference. The mean acceptability score on the protocol acceptability questionnaire was 82%.
It was feasible and acceptable to implement acupuncture in adults with SCD. This study can be used to guide a larger randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on reducing chronic pain in adults with SCD. NCT04156399 (ClinicalTrials.gov).
慢性疼痛是镰状细胞病（SCD）患者常见的症状。我们的目的是评估在 SCD 成人中进行针刺治疗慢性疼痛的可行性和可接受性。
这是一项针对 6 名 SCD 成人的单臂前瞻性试点研究。参与者报告 ⩾ 3 个月的慢性疼痛，年龄 ⩾ 18 岁。根据方案，针刺治疗每周进行 2 次，每次 30 分钟，共 5 周。所有治疗均在伊利诺伊大学芝加哥护理学院的针刺治疗实验室进行。在基线和干预后测量疼痛强度、疼痛干扰和其他症状。参与者在针刺干预后完成半结构化访谈和方案可接受性问卷。
共有 6 名参与者（平均年龄 52.5 岁，6 名黑人）入组。尽管由于 COVID-19 研究暂停，并非所有参与者都完成了 10 次治疗方案，但完成率很高，没有错过预约。由于与针刺无关的住院治疗，1 名参与者未完成研究。未报告不良事件。在基线后 4-5 周干预结束时，所有参与者的疼痛强度和疼痛干扰均降低。方案可接受性问卷的平均可接受性评分为 82%。
在 SCD 成人中实施针刺是可行且可接受的。这项研究可用于指导更大规模的随机对照试验，以评估针刺治疗降低 SCD 成人慢性疼痛的效果。NCT04156399（ClinicalTrials.gov）。
