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The effect of mindfulness therapy in acromegaly, a pilot study.

Clinical endocrinology
March 1, 2023
Alicia Santos et al. (12 authors)
Randomized Controlled TrialMulticenter StudyJournal ArticleHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the effects of a mindfulness program on quality of life, mood, pain, sleep, self-compassion, life satisfaction, blood pressure, and heart rate in patients with acromegaly.

Results Summary

The study found improvements in night-time hours in bed, a trend toward reduced time to start sleeping, reduced pain scores, improved self-compassion, and significant decreases in heart rate during mindfulness sessions.

Population

Patients with acromegaly (60 participants across two centers).

Effective Dosage

8-week face-to-face group program (classic Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction in one center, adapted program with mindfulness and compassion elements in the other).

Duration

8 weeks

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (6)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
mindfulness program
increase
night-time hours in bed
patients with acromegaly in the BCN intervention group
-
an increase
#1
mindfulness program
decrease
time to start sleeping
patients with acromegaly in both centres
-
a trend to a reduction
#2
mindfulness program
decrease
pain score
patients with acromegaly in the BCN intervention group
-
reduced
#3
mindfulness program
increase
self-compassion
patients with acromegaly in the BCN intervention group
-
an improvement
#4
mindfulness program
decrease
heart rate
patients with acromegaly in the intervention group in both centres
-
decreased significantly
#5
mindfulness program
decrease
heart rate
patients with acromegaly in the BG intervention group
-
fell more
#6
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Patients with acromegaly have often several comorbidities, including decreased quality of life, mood alterations and chronic pain. Mindfulness is effective at improving mood, quality of life and pain management; however, there is no data available on its effect in patients with acromegaly. OBJECTIVE: We aimed at evaluating changes in quality of life, mood, pain, sleep, self-compassion, life satisfaction, blood pressure and heart rate after a mindfulness program. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: This was a randomized, multicentre, international clinical trial (Barcelona-BCN and Bergamo-BG) of 60 patients, 30 per centre. MEASUREMENTS: The intervention group participated in an 8-week face-to-face group program; the control group followed normal clinical routine. In BG, patients performed a classic Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program; in BCN they performed an adapted program including elements of mindfulness and compassion with a greater focus on daily life. RESULTS: In the BCN intervention group there was an increase in night-time hours in bed (p = 0.05) after the program. In both centres there was a trend to a reduction of the time to start sleeping (p = 0.06 BCN, p = 0.07 BG). In BCN, the intervention group reduced the pain score compared to the control group (p = .02), and an improvement in self-compassion was found (p = .04). In both centres, heart rate decreased significantly in the intervention group during a single 2-hour session. This was evidenced at the first and the last program session (BCN p = .013 and p = .009; BG < 0.001 and p = .04). A training effect was found in BG, where heart rate fell more in the last session than in the first (p = 002). CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated for the first time the value of a mindfulness program in patients with acromegaly, analysing possible effects and advantages, and clarifying the usefulness of a specific protocol for the disease.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
HumansPilot ProjectsQuality of LifeMindfulnessAcromegalyPain
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy75/10
Quality85/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations5
Citations/Year2.5
Relative Citation Ratio1.49
NIH Percentile64.8%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.50
Weight Score2.79
Normalized Score0.67
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