• Benzi M Kluger, Dylan Rakowski, Mary Christian, Daisy Cedar, Ban Wong, Jane Crawford, Kristen Uveges, Julie Berk, Etta Abaca, Lisa Corbin, and Cynthia Garvan.
• Departments of Neurology and Medicine, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
• Mov. Disord. 2016 Jul 1; 31 (7): 1027-32.

BackgroundFatigue is a common and debilitating nonmotor symptom of PD. Because preliminary evidence suggests that acupuncture improves fatigue in other conditions, we sought to test its efficacy in PD.MethodsNinety-four PD patients with moderate-to-high fatigue were randomized to receive 6 weeks of biweekly real or sham acupuncture. The primary outcome was change on the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale at 6 weeks. Secondary outcomes included sleep, mood, quality of life, and maintenance of benefits at 12 weeks.ResultsBoth groups showed significant improvements in fatigue at 6 and 12 weeks, but with no significant between-group differences. Improvements from baseline in mood, sleep, and quality of life were noted without between-group differences. Overall, 63% of patients reported noticeable improvements in their fatigue. No serious adverse events were observed.ConclusionsAcupuncture may improve PD-related fatigue, but real acupuncture offers no greater benefit than sham treatments. PD-related fatigue should be added to the growing list of conditions that acupuncture helps primarily through nonspecific or placebo effects. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.© 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

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