ABSTRACT
Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture at Quchi (LI11) on the serum interleukin-2 (IL-2) level and the severity of uremic pruritus (UP) in hemodialysis patients. Methods: Sixty hemodialysis patients with UP were randomized into an acupuncture group and a control group, with 30 cases in each group. In the acupuncture group, patients were treated with acupuncture at Quchi (LI11) twice a week for six weeks. In the control group, each patient received a placebo treatment (sham acupuncture). Before and after the intervention, the pruritis severity was examined using a 5-D scale, and the serum IL-2 level was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the demographic or clinical factors between the control group and the acupuncture group at baseline. The reduction in pruritus severity in patients was more significant in the acupuncture group (P=0.027). Acupuncture therapy also significantly decreased the serum IL-2 level in the patients (P=0.011). Throughout the acupuncture procedures, the incidence of pain and mild bleeding was 3.6％ and 2.5％, respectively. Conclusion: Six-week acupuncture treatment at Quchi (LI11) can effectively decrease the severity of UP and the serum IL-2 level. Large-scale, long-duration, and multi-center studies are needed to fully understand the role of IL-2 in inflammation and neuroimmune stimulation during acupuncture.