Abstract
BackgroundThe causes of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF) are not clearly known, and there are no definitive treatments for them. Therefore, patients with CFS and ICF are interested in Oriental medicine or complementary and alternative medicine. For this reason, the effectiveness of complementary and alternative treatments should be verified. We investigated the effectiveness of two forms of acupuncture added to usual care for CFS and ICF compared to usual care alone.MethodsA three-arm parallel, non-blinded, randomized controlled trial was performed in four hospitals. We divided 150 participants into treatment and control groups at the same ratio. The treatment groups (Group A, body acupuncture; Group B, Sa-am acupuncture) received 10 sessions for 4 weeks. The control group (Group C) continued usual care alone. The primary outcome was the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) at 5 weeks after randomization. Secondary outcomes were the FSS at 13 weeks and a short form of the Stress Response Inventory (SRI), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) at 5 and 13 weeks.ResultsGroup A showed significantly lower FSS scores than Group C at 5 weeks (P = 0.023). SRI scores were significantly lower in the treatment groups than in the control group at 5 (Group A, P = 0.032; B, P <0.001) and 13 weeks (Group A, P = 0.037; B, P <0.001). Group B showed significantly lower BDI scores than Group C at 13 weeks (P = 0.007). NRS scores from the treatment groups were significantly reduced compared to control at 5 (Group A and B, P <0.001) and 13 weeks (Group A, P = 0.011; B, P = 0.002).ConclusionsBody acupuncture for 4 weeks in addition to usual care may help improve fatigue in CFS and ICF patients.Trial registrationClinical Research Information Service (CRIS) KCT0000508; Registered on 12 August 2012.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-015-0857-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The causes of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF) are not clearly known, and there are no definitive treatments for them
Fatigue that continues for more than 6 months is defined as chronic fatigue, and chronic fatigue for which no medical explanation exists is classified as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF)
The diagnostic criteria for CFS are as follows: (1) the individual has severe chronic fatigue for 6 or more consecutive months that is not due to ongoing exertion or other medical conditions associated with fatigue; (2) the fatigue significantly interferes with daily activities and work; and (3) the individual concurrently has four or more of eight specific symptoms
Summary
The causes of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF) are not clearly known, and there are no definitive treatments for them. The diagnostic criteria for CFS are as follows: (1) the individual has severe chronic fatigue for 6 or more consecutive months that is not due to ongoing exertion or other medical conditions associated with fatigue; (2) the fatigue significantly interferes with daily activities and work; and (3) the individual concurrently has four or more of eight specific symptoms. These symptoms include the following: (i) postexertional malaise lasting for more than 24 h; (ii) unrefreshing sleep; (iii) significant impairment of shortterm memory or concentration; (iv) muscle pain; (v) multijoint pain without swelling or redness; (vi) headaches of a new type, pattern, or severity; (vii) tender cervical or axillary lymph nodes; and (viii) a sore throat that is frequent or recurring. The effectiveness of complementary and alternative treatments should be verified
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
