title: A randomized controlled trial of acupuncture added to usual treatment for fibromyalgia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture for fibromyalgia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-eight women with fibromyalgia were allocated randomly to receive either acupuncture together with tricyclic antidepressants and exercise (n=34), or tricyclic antidepressants and exercise only (n=24). Patients rated their pain on a visual analogue scale. A blinded assessor evaluated both the mean pressure pain threshold value over all 18 fibromyalgia points and quality of life using SF-36.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of 20 sessions, patients who received acupuncture were significantly better than the control group in all measures of pain and in 5 of the SF-36 subscales. After 6 months, the acupuncture group was significantly better than the control group in numbers of tender points, mean pressure pain threshold at the 18 tender points and 3 subscales of SF-36. After one year, the acupuncture group showed significance in one subscale of the SF-36; at 2 years there were no significant differences in any outcome measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Addition of acupuncture to usual treatments for fibromyalgia may be beneficial for pain and quality of life for 3 months after the end of treatment. Future research is needed to evaluate the specific effects of acupuncture for fibromyalgia.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patologia, Avenida Doutor Arnaldo 455, Sao Paulo, Brazil. targino@usp.br
authors.forename: Rosa Alves
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Targino
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imamura
authors.forename: Helena H S
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Kaziyama
authors.forename: Luiz P M
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Wu Tu
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Hsing
authors.forename: Andréa D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Furlan
authors.forename: Satiko Tomikawa
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Imamura
authors.forename: Raymundo Soares
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Azevedo Neto