Auricular Point Acupressure to Manage Pain in Patients With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders

Stopped early · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Pain, Alzheimer Disease

In brief

Pain is considered as one of the most important causal factors of behavioral and psychological symptoms in patients Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD). The investigators plan to examine the effectiveness of pain relief, pain sensory change and immune biomarkers change (measured by serum biomarkers) after the auricular point acupressure (APA). A waitlist will be used to examine the feasibility of a 4-week APA intervention. The investigators will also explore potential analgesic pathways and underpinnings of APA on pain relief.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT03393546

Run by

Johns Hopkins University

People needed

8

Starts

2018-08-01

Expected to finish

2022-03-08

Last updated by the study team

2023-07-10

Who can join

Age: 21 and older, up to 85. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• have a diagnosis of possible or probable ADRD by National Institute of Aging (NIA) and Alzheimer's Association Guidelines,
• have a caregiver who is able to help and manage APA,
• pain that has persisted at least 3 months and pain on at least half of the days for the previous 6 months,
• average intensity of pain ≥ 4 on a 10 point numerical pain scale in the past 7 days,
• receiving care at the Johns Hopkins Memory and Alzheimer's Treatment Center (JHMATC), Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's disease Research Center (JHADRC),
• willing to commit to 5-weekly study visits (first office visits and followed by home visits) by the study coordinators and two follow-up home visits (at three- and six-months follow-up),
• have any type of dementia, mild to moderate stages (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA, ≥ 8),
• caregiver is willing to participate.

You may not qualify if…

• concurrent major psychiatric disorder (e.g. major depressive disorder (as primary diagnosis), bipolar disorder, schizophrenia) or drug and alcohol abuse,
• severe illness or pain that would lead to significant deterioration in health, or that would limit participation in the interventions (e.g. metastatic cancer, musculoskeletal disorders, etc.)

Where it is running

• Johns Hopkins School of Nursing — Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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