title: Use of auricular acupressure to improve the quality of life in diabetic patients with chronic kidney diseases: a prospective randomized controlled trial.
abstract: Background. Diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) suffer from low quality of life (QOL). We aim to assess the effectiveness of auricular acupressure for QOL improvement in these patients. Materials and Methods. Sixty-two participants were randomly assigned to an auricular or a control arm in a randomized controlled trial. Participants in the auricular arm were instructed to perform auricular acupressure 3-5 times per day for 3 months, when they were receiving conventional treatments. Participants in the control arm received conventional treatments only. The primary outcome was the summarized score of Kidney Disease and Quality of Life Short-Form (KDQOL-SF) at 3 months after randomization. The secondary outcomes included the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Results. The summarized KDQOL differed significantly between the acupressure (76.6, 95% CI, 72.2 to 81.0) and the control group (61.8, 95% CI, 57.7 to 65.9). Similar results were found in the SF-36 scores. HbA1c and eGFR were not found to be significantly different between the arms and neither were the adverse events. Conclusion. Auricular acupressure was well tolerated in diabetic patients with chronic kidney diseases receiving hemodialysis. Future research is needed to confirm these results.
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China.
authors.forename: Shaoqing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Integration of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan 610513, China.
authors.forename: Zhaohui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan 610513, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zang
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan 610513, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Integration of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan 610513, China.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhai
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan 610513, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan 610513, China.
authors.forename: Aijing
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan 610513, China.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang