Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to Treat Chronic Pruritus

Not Applicable

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Chronic Pruritus

• Registration Number: NCT06771375
• Lead Sponsor: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

Brief Summary

Pruritus is a common symptom of numerous dermatological and non-dermatological conditions. Current treatments for chronic pruritus (CP) are often not fully effective and may have burdensome side effects. Recently, the trauma exposure technique Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) that is recommended as first line treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder has been reported to be also effective in the treatment of CP in anecdotal clinical case observations. However, to the best of the investigator's knowledge, the efficacy of EMDR in CP has not yet been systematically explored. This study aims at addressing this unmet need in a prospective pilot study comparing EMDR versus treatment as usual (TAU).

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2025-01
• Study First Submitted: 2025-01-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-01-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-01-07
• Study First Posted: 2025-01-13
• Last Update Posted: 2025-01-13
• Study Start: 2025-03
• Primary Completion: 2026-09
• Study Completion: 2026-09

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 30

Inclusion Criteria

• Provided written informed consent
• Age 18 to 75 years
• Skindex-29 (questionnaire) symptoms subscale ≥42
• Confirmed diagnosis CP
• Itch intensity of min. ≥ 4 on the 0-10 numerical rating scale within the last 7 days
• Stable course of treatment in the two weeks prior to the study

Exclusion Criteria

• Inability to follow the procedures of the study, e.g. due to language problems, severe psychiatric disorders such as delusional disorder, suicidality or dementia.
• Patients on phototherapy
• Acute attacks of an autoimmune disease such as Crohn's disease
• Serious cardiac disease

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Adherence (%)	up to 8 month	Adherence/ receipt of intervention and retention will be assessed by tracking % of sessions completed, number of dropouts and number of patients completing final assessment.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University Hospital Basel; 🇨🇭 Basel, Switzerland