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Effects of Acupuncture on Chinese Adult Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis: A Prospective Cohort Study

Peiyi Chen, Tiantian Xin and Yingchun Zeng

Introduction: Psoriasis is a distressing and chronic inflammatory condition that affects skin and joints. There is an increasing body of evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of psoriasis, but few studies conducted to investigate its effectiveness of acupuncture for patients with psoriatic arthritis. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture treatment as an adjunct to usual care in Chinese adult patients with psoriatic arthritis. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study. Chinese adult patients with a diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis were offered acupuncture and allocated into groups based on their choice: the acupuncture group (n=30) was comprised of patients electing to receive treatment over a 12 week period. The control group (n=30) was made up of patients who declined and was matched for age, gender and baseline Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score. Results: In this 12 week study, patients in the acupuncture group experienced significantly greater improvement in their PASI score at postintervention than did the control group (p<0.05). The acupuncture group had a higher rate of good responders (ΔPASIm ≥ 75) did the control group (73.33% vs. 53.33%). There were no significant differences between groups in terms of adverse effects as a result of acupuncture. Conclusion: Acupuncture plus usual care was associated with a greater improvement in PASI score than usual care alone. This prospective cohort study was evidence-based research and demonstrated that acupuncture can safely offer clinical benefits for treating psoriatic arthritis.