Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a genetic hematological disorder characterized by chronic pain, recurrent vaso-occlusive crises featuring extremely painful episodes, and other co-morbidities. Management of pain in SCD relies on persistent and/or high doses of opioids as the mainstay, which is known to be associated with significant risks of side effects, tolerance, opioid-induced hyperalgesia, and/or lower quality of life (QoL). Moreover, many SCD individuals self-manage their pain at home, which further increases the potential risks of abuse and side effects of medications. Preliminary results from our ongoing RCT demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of self-administered acupressure as a new telehealth approach in SCD for managing pain and co-morbidities (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06511453). Twenty-three participants with SCD receiving self-administered acupressure every other day for five weeks plus usual care showed progressive (weekly observation during the treatment period) and sustained (monthly observation up to 6 months following the last treatment) improvements in pain, co-morbidities (e.g., physical dysfunction, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and emotional distress) and QoL as compared to the 14 participants with SCD receiving usual care alone. No significant improvements were observed throughout the observational period in individuals with usual care only. No side effects were reported from the participants receiving self-administered acupressure. These results highlight acupressure’s potential as a safe and effective telehealth approach for managing pain in SCD. A larger sample size from continuous enrollment is needed to validate these findings.

S.E.H. has consulted for Aptinyx, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, Indiana University Indianapolis, and the University of Glasgow and has received grant funding from the NIH, Arbor Medical Innovations, and Aptinyx. R.E.H. has previously consulted for Pfizer and Aptinyx Inc. and has received grant funding from Pfizer, Aptinyx, Cerephex, and the NIH. Z.P. has consulted for Vertex, Alexion, Agio, and Pharming, and has been the site PI for clinical trials with Novartis, Novo Nordisk, GBT Pharma, Pfizer, and a speaker for Agio Pharmaceuticals and Sobi. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06511453

This research received funding from an NIH K99/R00 award (Grant # 5R00AT010012) and the Indiana University Health - Indiana University School of Medicine Strategic Research Initiative awarded to Y.W.

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The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Indiana University, and all participants gave electronic written informed consent.

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Deidentified data is available upon reasonable request from author Y.W.