Evaluation of the Efficacy of Laser Acupuncture on Uremic Pruritus

Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital

Status: Completed

Conditions: Uremia

Treatments: Device: laser acupuncture

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06875115

B11301036

Details and patient eligibility

About

Sixty patients were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n=30) receiving laser acupuncture or the control group (n=30) receiving sham laser acupuncture. Treatment sessions were conducted during dialysis sessions. The experimental group received laser acupuncture at Xuehai, Quchi, and Bai Chongwo acupoints three times per week for four weeks. The control group received sham laser acupuncture at the same acupoints. The 5-D Pruritus Scale and DLQI were used to assess pruritus severity before and after the intervention.

Full description

The subjects were divided into two groups to investigate whether laser acupuncture can improve uremic pruritus.

Enrollment: 60 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 20 to 90 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age ≥ 20 years.
• Intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels < 68 pg/mL (patients with -thyroidectomy excluded).
• Urea nitrogen (BUN) clearance rate (Kt/V) ≥ 1.2 at each dialysis session.
• Serum phosphate levels < 5.5 mg/dL.
• Receiving hemodialysis three times weekly for at least three consecutive months.
• No history of acute illnesses like infections or cardiovascular disease.
• Avoiding a high-phosphorus diet.
• Adjusting dialysate calcium concentration to 8.6-10 mg/dL.
• Replacing the artificial kidney or increasing dialysis blood flow

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnant or nursing.
• History of photosensitivity.
• Recent use of systemic or local medications for pruritus (e.g., immunosuppressants, opioid agonists/antagonists, glucocorticoids, antihistamines, ultraviolet B therapy).
• Hepatobiliary dysfunction based on medical history and liver function tests.
• Malignancies.
• Other itchy skin conditions diagnosed by a dermatologist.
• Wounds near acupuncture points, contraindicating laser acupuncture

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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60 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

laser acupuncture on acupoint

Active Comparator group

Description:

The experimental group is a powered, functional laser device,

Treatment:

Device: laser acupuncture

shame laser on acupoints

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

the control group is a non-functional laser device that does not emit light and has no therapeutic effect.

Treatment:

Device: laser acupuncture