• Eonju Jeon, Hyojung Kwon, Imhee Shin, Seokbong Kang, and Hosang Shon.
• Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
• Acupunct Med. 2014 Aug 1;32(4):350-2.

BackgroundDiabetic neuropathic pain can severely influence quality of life, and patients may be dissatisfied with treatment.ObjectiveTo carry out an observational study of the effects of acupuncture for the treatment of diabetic neuropathic pain, in preparation for a full study.MethodsNine patients with diabetic neuropathic pain were recruited from a Korean diabetic clinic and given 12 sessions of acupuncture over 4 weeks. Their symptoms were evaluated using the Total Symptom Score (TSS) and Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) at baseline and 4 weeks after the last treatment.ResultsMean TSS scores reduced from 7.99 (SD 3.55) at baseline to 4.95 (SD 4.41), at the 8-week follow-up-a statistically non-significant change (p=0.057). The MNSI scores improved from 6.33 (SD 1.31) before treatment to 4.33 (SD 3.00) after acupuncture treatment-a significant improvement (p=0.010). One participant experienced an exacerbation of diabetic neuropathy symptoms, but two patients gained complete relief of their diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) symptoms.ConclusionsThe results of this study justify further investigations into the effects of acupuncture on DPN.Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

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