Acupuncture in Pediatrics and Adolescents With Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

October 1, 2025 updated by: Christina Hafner, Medical University of Vienna
Chronic inflammatory bowel disease (CIBD) with its prevalence of 2.6 million people in Europe is diagnosed in 25% before the age of 18 years. Early remission is intended to improve child growth, quality of life and reduce psychological comorbidities. Additionally to conventional drugs one third of pediatric CIBD patients use alternative treatment strategies. However, there is a lack of evidence of acupuncture as complementary medicine in pediatric CIBD on the disease activity and inflammation. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of acupuncture in children with CIBD on the Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index (PUCAI) and the Weighted Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index (sPCDAI), which are non-invasive validated instruments to measure the disease activity. Furthermore, this study aims to investigate the effect of acupuncture on chronic pain, quality of life and parameters of inflammation.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
60

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Austria
      • Vienna, Austria, 1090
        • Department of Anesthesia, General Intensive Care and Pain Management,Medical University of Vienna

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

10 years to 17 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • mild/moderate CIBD
  • stable pharmacological treatment at least for 8 weeks

Exclusion Criteria:

  • complementary alternative medicine

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: Control group
20 CIBD patients do not receive acupuncture or placebo-acupuncture.
Active Comparator: Acupuncture group
20 CIBD patients receive 8 sessions of acupuncture therapy with 0,3 x 30mm needles (asia-med special number 16).
Other: Acupuncture
Patients receive 8 acupuncture sessions (1 session per week, 20 minutes per session) with acupuncture needles.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo group
20 CIBD patients receive 8 sessions of sham acupuncture with placebo-needles 0,3 x 30mm (Streitberger).
Other: Placebo-Acupuncture
Patients receive 8 acupuncture sessions (1 session per week, 20 minutes per session) with placebo-needles.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Disease Activity Index
Time Frame: At beginning vs 8 weeks
Disease Activity Index (either Paediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index in case of patients with ulcerative colitis or Weighted Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity in patients with Crohn's disease)
At beginning vs 8 weeks
Disease Activity Index
Time Frame: At beginning vs 4 weeks
Disease Activity Index (either Paediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index in case of patients with ulcerative colitis or Weighted Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity in patients with Crohn's disease)
At beginning vs 4 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents measured by KINDL(R)
Time Frame: At beginning vs 4 weeks
The quality of life will be measured using the KINDL(R) questionnaire. The data will be transformed according to the manual of the questionnaire. The total score of quality of life ranges from 0 to 100. A higher score is associated with a better quality of life.
At beginning vs 4 weeks
Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents measured by KINDL(R)
Time Frame: At beginning vs 8 weeks
The quality of life will be measured using the KINDL(R) questionnaire. The data will be transformed according to the manual of the questionnaire. The total score of quality of life ranges from 0 to 100. A higher score is associated with a better quality of life.
At beginning vs 8 weeks
Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents measured by ILK
Time Frame: At beginning vs 4 weeks
The quality of life will be also measured using the ILK questionnaire (Inventar zur Erfassung der Lebensqualität bei Kindern und Jugendlichen). The total score of quality ranges from 0 to 28. A higher score is associated with a better quality of life.
At beginning vs 4 weeks
Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents measured by ILK
Time Frame: At beginning vs 8 weeks
The quality of life will be also measured using the ILK questionnaire (Inventar zur Erfassung der Lebensqualität bei Kindern und Jugendlichen). The total score of quality ranges from 0 to 28. A higher score is associated with a better quality of life).
At beginning vs 8 weeks
Pain assessment
Time Frame: At beginning vs 4 weeks
The pain will be measured using the numerating scale, which ranges from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain possible).
At beginning vs 4 weeks
Pain assessment
Time Frame: At beginning vs 8 weeks
The pain will be measured using the numerating scale, which ranges from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain possible).
At beginning vs 8 weeks
C reactive protein
Time Frame: At beginning vs 4 weeks
As one parameter of inflammation the C reactive protein will be measured in mg/dl.
At beginning vs 4 weeks
C reactive protein
Time Frame: At beginning vs 8 weeks
As one parameter of inflammation the C reactive protein will be measured in mg/dl.
At beginning vs 8 weeks
Leukocytes
Time Frame: At beginning vs 4 weeks
As another parameter of inflammation the leukocytes will be measured in 10^9/L
At beginning vs 4 weeks
Leukocytes
Time Frame: At beginning vs 8 weeks
As another parameter of inflammation the leukocytes will be measured in 10^9/L
At beginning vs 8 weeks
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
Time Frame: At beginning vs 4 weeks
As another inflammatory parameter the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (mm/hour) will be measured.
At beginning vs 4 weeks
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
Time Frame: At beginning vs 8 weeks
As another inflammatory parameter the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (mm/hour) will be measured.
At beginning vs 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Medical University of Vienna

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Gisela Scharbert, MD, MedUniVienna

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 1, 2019

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 26, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 23, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 27, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 3, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 1, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 1773/2018

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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