Kata Kunci

Abstrak

Background and Purpose: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is often referred to as “immortal cancer” due to its significant impact on quality of life, disability rates, and even survival. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and adverse reactions of intradermal acupuncture (IA) in treating RA patients with liver and kidney deficiency syndrome. Materials and Methods: A total of 132 RA patients were randomly assigned to either an IA group or a sham IA group at a 1:1 ratio. Both groups were assessed before and after the intervention using the following measures: traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome evaluation, Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28), and serum C-reactive protein (CRP). Results: Statistically significant differences were observed in TCM syndrome evaluation, HAQ, DAS28, and CRP between the two groups before and after treatment (P < 0.01). The IA group showed more pronounced improvements in TCM syndrome evaluation (95% CI [1.14 (0.38–1.89)]; P = 0.001), HAQ (95% CI [2.00 (1.00–3.00)]; P = 0.003), and DAS28 (95% CI [0.11 (0.02–0.20)]; P = 0.021) compared to the sham IA group (P < 0.05), except for CRP (95% CI [0.50 (−2.09 to 7.08)], P = 0.786). The difference in CRP outcome changes between the two groups was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in the implementation of RA acupoints in the upper and lower extremities based on site (IA group: P = 0.852; sham IA group: P = 0.861). The comparison of effective rates for the upper and lower limbs was statistically significant (P = 0.001). Additionally, no adverse effects were reported by patients. Conclusion: The IA intervention demonstrated a promising effect in reducing RA disease activity and delaying overall disease progression.