Acupressure in Pruritus for Atopic Dermatitis

Northwestern University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Atopic Dermatitis

Treatments: Other: Standard-of-care treatment for AD; Device: Accu-patch pellet

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01074164

STU 20535

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to see if acupressure will be effective at reducing itch in people with atopic dermatitis (AD).

Full description

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is recognized as a major and common problem worldwide. In the United States, AD and related eczematous symptoms affect 17% of the population; 1 in 10 individuals report having experienced symptoms causing quality of life (QOL) distress, including itching/scratching, red/inflamed rash, excessive dryness/scaling, and/or symptoms lasting ≥ 14 days. Two-thirds of these subjects noted at least moderate to severe symptoms, with itch being the most disturbing. Effective treatment of AD and of pruritus (itching) are interconnected. Treating AD will decrease the stimulus for the itch, whereas treating pruritus will decrease the feedback cycle brought on when a patient scratches the skin continually. Effective medications for AD and related symptoms include topical corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors. Oftentimes, these remedies are insufficient at treating the itch component of the disease. There is demand for alternative, complementary treatments for AD-related pruritus.

Enrollment: 15 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Diagnosis of AD by dermatologist
• Not currently using acupressure or acupuncture for treatment of AD
• Able to read, write, and understand study materials
• Age 18 or older

Exclusion criteria

• Unable to physically perform acupressure technique
• Significant comorbidities causing itch such as chronic urticaria, renal failure, notalgia paresthetica, and tinea

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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15 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Control group

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

This group of subjects will serve as the control group and will follow a standard-of-care treatment regimen for AD, including the use of moisturizers and topical corticosteroids.

Treatment:

Other: Standard-of-care treatment for AD

Accu-patch pellet

Experimental group

Description:

This group of subjects will follow a standard-of-care treatment regimen for AD, including the use of moisturizers and topical corticosteroids. Additionally, they will use a titanium pellet (accu-patch pellet) to self-apply pressure at the LI11 acupuncture pressure point, located on the left arm lateral to the antecubital fossae, for 10 minutes, 3 times weekly for 1 month.

Treatment:

Device: Accu-patch pellet