Acupuncture for Post COVID-19 Condition (Long COVID) Neuropsychiatric Symptoms

NCT ID: NCT06633666

Last Updated: 2024-11-13

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

160 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-07-30

Study Completion Date

2026-04-30

Brief Summary

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In this study, a 12-week pragmatic, randomized, double-blinded clinical trial will be conducted to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture for the treatment of long Covid neuropsychiatric symptoms and provide reference for clinical non-drug treatment.

Detailed Description

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This is a pragmatic, randomized, double-blinded clinical trial on acupuncture for treating neuropsychiatric symptoms in long Covid patients. A total of 160 participants will be diagnosed by a registered Chinese medicine practitioner and randomly assigned to the acupuncture and the control group with a 1:1 ratio. The acupuncture group will receive 24 sessions of interventions during a 12-week treatment duration (2 sessions per week) and will be followed up at week 18. The control group will only receive conventional therapy.

Conditions

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Long Covid19 Neuropsychiatric Symptom Acupuncture

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Caregivers Outcome Assessors
The participants will be assigned to the treatment group or the control group according to the ratio of 1:1. This process is carried out by an independent researcher (Research Assistant), and the evaluators and outcome assessor will not know the grouping of the participants until the end of the study.

Study Groups

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Acupuncture

The acupuncture intervention will be conducted for 2 sessions per week during a 12-week treatment duration and will be followed up at week 18. This research is based on the TCM theory of individualized acupuncture. Qualified participants will first conduct TCM syndrome differentiation according to the five main manifestations of Long COVID neuropsychiatric symptoms including fatigue, anxiety/depression, cognitive impairment, memory loss, and insomnia. They will be divided into four treatment groups according to their main clinical symptoms, and the participants in the treatment group will be treated with the selected acupoints according to their disease category.

The selection of the acupoints for each syndrome type are formulated with reference to the 13th Five-Year Plan Textbook "Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy" published by the China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine Co.,Ltd.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Acupuncture

Intervention Type DEVICE

1. Fatigue Principal points: Pishu (BL 20), Ganshu (BL 18), Shenshu (BL 23), Baihui (GV 20), Guanyuan (RN 4), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6)
2. Anxiety/ depression Principal points: Yintang (EX-HN3), Baihui (GV 20), Taichong (LR 3), Neiguan (PC 6), Danzhong (RN 7)
3. Cognitive impairment/ memory loss Principal points: Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN1), Fengfu (GV 16), Taixi (K 13), Xuanzhong (GB 39), Zusanli (ST 36)
4. Insomnia Principal points: Zhaohai (K 16), Shenmai (BL 62), Shenmen (HT 7), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Anmian (EX-HN22), Sishencong (EX-HN1)

Conventional treatment

The control group will not receive acupuncture therapy. This study does not require the use of a placebo.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Acupuncture

1. Fatigue Principal points: Pishu (BL 20), Ganshu (BL 18), Shenshu (BL 23), Baihui (GV 20), Guanyuan (RN 4), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6)
2. Anxiety/ depression Principal points: Yintang (EX-HN3), Baihui (GV 20), Taichong (LR 3), Neiguan (PC 6), Danzhong (RN 7)
3. Cognitive impairment/ memory loss Principal points: Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN1), Fengfu (GV 16), Taixi (K 13), Xuanzhong (GB 39), Zusanli (ST 36)
4. Insomnia Principal points: Zhaohai (K 16), Shenmai (BL 62), Shenmen (HT 7), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Anmian (EX-HN22), Sishencong (EX-HN1)

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* meet the clinical diagnosis of Long COVID by the World Health Organization (WHO), with no neuropsychiatric symptoms 1 year before infection with Covid-19, and continue to have at least one neuropsychiatric symptom for 2 months after SARS-CoV-2 turned negative 3 months above;
* aged 12 to 80 years;
* willing and able to consent, and complete all assessment and study procedures

Exclusion Criteria

* patients with a history of chronic neuropsychiatric symptoms;
* cardiovascular diseases pre-existing to the Covid-19 episode such as arrhythmia, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and patients with cardiac pacemakers;
* documented pre-existing history of psychiatric illness, including substance abuse;
* suicidal tendencies (attempted suicide in the 12 months before the study);
* any chronic or remote neurological disorder (i.e. stroke, head trauma, epilepsy, tumor);
* those who participated in other clinical trials within one month;
* pregnant or lactating female patients;
* have surgery within two months before the study or will have a scheduled surgery during the study;
* acute brain injury or acute encephalopathy from another etiology than Covid-19 (e.g., sepsis, liver or renal failure, alcohol or drug withdrawal, drug toxicity);
* open-heart cardiac surgery or cardiac arrest during the last 6 months;
* patients who received acupuncture treatment 1 month before the start of the study;
* patients who were unable to complete the assessment during screening due to severe mental, cognitive, or emotional impairment
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

80 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Hong Kong Baptist University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Zhong Lidan

Visiting Associate Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Dong Jue Wei, MD.

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Hong Kong Baptist University

Locations

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Linda Zhong

Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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Hong Kong

Central Contacts

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Linda Zhong, MD., Ph.D

Role: CONTACT

85234116523

Facility Contacts

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Linda Zhong, MD,PhD

Role: primary

References

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Related Links

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Other Identifiers

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2023Cmdevfund

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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