1. Japanese-Style Acupuncture for Endometriosis-Related Pelvic Pain in Adolescents and Young Women: Results of a Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial
- Author
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Wayne, Peter M., Kerr, Catherine E., Schnyer, Rosa N., Legedza, Anna T.R., Savetsky-German, Jacqueline, Shields, Monica H., Buring, Julie E., Davis, Roger B., Conboy, Lisa A., Highfield, Ellen, Parton, Barbara, Thomas, Phaedra, and Laufer, Marc R.
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PELVIC pain treatment , *YOUNG women , *RANDOMIZED controlled trials , *ACUPUNCTURE , *DIAGNOSIS of endometriosis , *CYTOKINES , *QUALITY of life , *DISEASES - Abstract
Abstract: Study Objective: To assess feasibility, and collect preliminary data for a subsequent randomized, sham-controlled trial to evaluate Japanese-style acupuncture for reducing chronic pelvic pain and improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in adolescents with endometriosis. Design: Randomized, sham-controlled trial. Settings: Tertiary-referral hospital. Participants: Eighteen young women (13–22y) with laparoscopically-diagnosed endometriosis-related chronic pelvic pain. Interventions: A Japanese style of acupuncture and a sham acupuncture control. Sixteen treatments were administered over 8 weeks. Main Outcome Measures: Protocol feasibility, recruitment numbers, pain not associated with menses or intercourse, and multiple HRQOL instruments including Endometriosis Health Profile, Pediatric Quality of Life, Perceived Stress, and Activity Limitation. Results: Fourteen participants (out of 18 randomized) completed the study per protocol. Participants in the active acupuncture group (n = 9) experienced an average 4.8 (SD = 2.4) point reduction on a 11 point scale (62%) in pain after 4 weeks, which differed significantly from the control group''s (n = 5) average reduction of 1.4 (SD = 2.1) points (P = 0.004). Reduction in pain in the active group persisted through a 6-month assessment; however, after 4 weeks, differences between the active and control group decreased and were not statistically significant. All HRQOL measures indicated greater improvements in the active acupuncture group compared to the control; however, the majority of these trends were not statistically significant. No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion: Preliminary estimates indicate that Japanese-style acupuncture may be an effective, safe, and well-tolerated adjunct therapy for endometriosis-related pelvic pain in adolescents. A more definitive trial evaluating Japanese-style acupuncture in this population is both feasible and warranted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
- Published
- 2008
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