Acupuncture Versus Conventional Treatment for Chronic Pain in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease

This study evaluated acupuncture plus optimized conventional pharmacological treatment compared with optimized conventional pharmacological treatment alone for chronic pain in adults with chronic kidney disease receiving conservative treatment, peritoneal dialysis, or hemodialysis. The study was conducted prospectively at a single center. Actual allocation was not exclusively randomized because some participants who expressed a preference for acupuncture before allocation were assigned to the acupuncture group, while the planned random sequence was used for participants without an expressed preference.

Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 18 to 75 years, of either sex * Chronic pain lasting more than 3 months * Pain intensity of at least 6 on a 0-to-10 visual analog scale (VAS) at the allocation visit (V2) * Chronic kidney disease managed with conservative treatment or receiving renal replacement therapy with peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis * Signed informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy * Inability to understand study instructions, attend study visits, or complete the assessment scales * History of alcohol or drug abuse * Psychological or emotional disorders considered likely to invalidate informed consent or limit adherence to study procedures * Coagulation disorders * Allergy to commonly used analgesic medications * Recommendation to discontinue nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)