Acupuncture for Adults With Sickle Cell Disease (SCD): A Feasibility Study

University of Illinois

Status: Terminated

Conditions: Sickle Cell Disease

Treatments: Other: Acupuncture

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04156399

2019-1077

Details and patient eligibility

About

The investigators long-term goal is to demonstrate the effectiveness of acupuncture for the treatment of adults with chronic pain due to sickle cell disease (SCD), a debilitating pain syndrome characterized by acute and chronic pain. The objective of this study is to explore the feasibility and acceptability of acupuncture with adult patients with SCD. All participants will receive acupuncture treatments twice per week for 5 weeks. Subjects will complete measures at baseline and post-treatment, and a measure of study acceptability at post-treatment. The investigators will describe the procedures and potential challenges to implementing the acupuncture protocol, and expect to identify and rectify any procedural problems that subjects report regarding the 10-session study protocol.

Full description

The investigators will conduct the study with adults with chronic pain from SCD, 18 years old or greater. They will all receive acupuncture. Treatments will be twice weekly for 5 weeks, for 30 minutes per treatment. At baseline and post-treatment, subjects will complete measures that include pain, fatigue, anxiety, depressive symptoms, injustice experience, and pain catastrophizing. Subjects will also complete a measure of study acceptability, the Protocol Acceptability Scale for Treating SCD with Acupuncture at post-treatment. The investigators will describe the procedures and potential challenges to implementing the acupuncture protocol and the range in the subjects' Acceptability Scale scores. The investigators will expect to identify and rectify any procedural problems that subjects will report regarding the 10-session study protocol.

Enrollment: 6 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Adults with Sickle Cell Disease
• Receiving care at the University of Illinois Sickle Cell Disease clinic
• Moderate to severe level of pain (3 or higher on a 0-10 scale) within the last 3 months

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnancy
• Physically or cognitively unable to complete the study procedures

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

6 participants in 1 patient group

Acupuncture

Experimental group

Description:

All subjects will receive active acupuncture.

Treatment:

Other: Acupuncture