Mantra meditation to improve wellbeing in urticaria patients attending St James’s Hospital

ISRCTN ISRCTN13672947
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN13672947
Submission date
09/09/2020
Registration date
22/09/2020
Last edited
13/08/2021
Recruitment status
No longer recruiting
Overall study status
Completed
Condition category
Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases
Prospectively registered
Protocol
Statistical analysis plan
Results
Individual participant data

Plain English Summary

Background and study aims
Urticaria and angioedema are terms used to describe hives and swellings, which can be very distressing, recurrent and sometimes difficult to treat. While the exact cause of this condition is not known, it is known that a specialised cell called the ‘mast cell’ is important. Mast cells can be affected by many factors, one of which might be chemical signals released when the body is under stress. These signals might make the condition worse. It has been suggested that by controlling how the body responds to stress, mast cell activity and therefore hives and swelling can be limited. There is growing evidence to support the potential benefits of attention based training (ABT) on psychological and physiological wellbeing. Therefore, the aim of this study is to find out whether ABT could help to improve the wellbeing of urticaria patients attending St James’s’ hospital. Based on the results of the study, the researchers hope to develop an ABT programme that can be used to help reduce stress and improve wellbeing among urticaria patients throughout Ireland.

Who can participate?
Patients aged over 18 with chronic spontaneous urticaria that is poorly controlled

What does the study involve?
The study involves a preliminary appointment with a researcher where participants fill out questionnaires and have a blood sample taken. They will then attend eight sessions of attention based training. These sessions aim to teach skills in meditation. It is hoped that these skills might improve symptoms of urticaria. Participants then attend a follow-up appointment with a researcher where they again complete questionnaires and have a blood sample taken.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The researchers do not anticipate any risks from taking part. There will be no direct benefit from taking part although it is hoped that participants might find the skills taught in the programme useful and informative.

Where is the study run from?
St James's Hospital (Ireland)

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
September 2017 to January 2022

Who is funding the study?
St James's Hospital (Ireland)

Who is the main contact?
Dr Katie Ridge
kridge@stjames.ie

Contact information

Dr Katie Ridge
Scientific

Immunology Department
St James’s Hospital
Dublin
D08X 4RX
Ireland

ORCiD logoORCID ID 0000-0003-4276-7050
Phone +353 (0)851814611
Email kridge@stjames.ie

Study information

Study designProspective single-arm single-site study
Primary study designInterventional
Secondary study designNon randomised study
Study setting(s)Hospital
Study typeTreatment
Participant information sheet ISRCTN13672947_PIS_V1.0_07Nov17.pdf
Scientific titleAttention-based training programme in the management of chronic spontaneous urticaria and angioedema
Study acronymABT in the management of CSUA
Study hypothesisIt is hypothesised that an attention-based training programme based on meditation will reduce individual perceived symptoms in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria and angioedema.
Ethics approval(s)Approved 12/01/2018, SJH/AMNCH Research Ethics Committee Secretariat (Tallaght University Hospital/St James’s Hospital Joint Research Ethics Committee, Tallaght University Hospital, Tallaght, Dublin 24, D24 NR0A, Ireland; +353 (0)1 414 2199; ResearchEthics@tuh.ie/ Sadhbh.ONeill@tuh.ie), REC ref: 2019-11 List 41 (8), Previous REC Ref: 2018-01 Chairman’s Action (5)
ConditionChronic spontaneous urticaria and angioedema
InterventionThis study has one arm, which is attendance at an attention-based training programme based on meditation for patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria. The attention-based training programme consists of 8 x 90-minute sessions that are delivered by a qualified psychologist.
Intervention typeBehavioural
Primary outcome measure1. Barriers to implementation of the intervention identified through convergent interviewing techniques at baseline and 1-week post completion of the intervention
2. Recruitment and retention of participants measured by recording participant attendance throughout the intervention over an 8-week period
3. Adherence to daily practice using individual biofeedback tools (HeartMath software) throughout the intervention over an 8- week period
4. Feasibility of collecting outcome assessment data measured by assessing the return of data from participants at baseline and 1-week post completion of the intervention
5. Qualitative assessment of participant experiences of the programme collected via interview 1-week post completion of the intervention
Secondary outcome measures1. Perceived individual symptoms measured using the urticaria control test (UCT) at baseline, 1 week before and 1 week after completion of the ABT programme
2. Depression, anxiety and stress measured using the depression-anxiety-stress score (DASS) at baseline and post 8-week ABT programme
3. Bio-psycho-social health measured using the PERMA-profiler at baseline, 1 week before and 1 week after completion of the ABT programme
4. Traits associated with sustained meditation practice (attention, observational skills, non-reactivity and non-judgemental skills) measured using the five-facet mindfulness questionnaire (FFMQ) at baseline, 1 week before and 1 week after completion of the ABT programme
Overall study start date01/09/2017
Overall study end date01/01/2022

Eligibility

Participant type(s)Patient
Age groupAdult
SexBoth
Target number of participants30
Total final enrolment12
Participant inclusion criteria1. Adults with a clinical diagnosis of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) with or without angioedema
2. Symptoms on at least one day per week
3. Urticaria control test score of <12 indicative of poorly controlled symptoms
Participant exclusion criteria1. Patients who had started an anti-depressant medication in the past 3 months
2. Diagnosis of an Axis I mental health disorder
Recruitment start date01/01/2020
Recruitment end date01/01/2021

Locations

Countries of recruitment

  • Ireland

Study participating centre

St. James's Hospital
James's Street
Dublin
D08 X4RX
Ireland

Sponsor information

St. James's Hospital
Hospital/treatment centre

James's Street
Dublin 8
Dublin
D08X 4RX
Ireland

Phone +353 (0)14103000
Email info@stjames.ie
Website http://www.stjames.ie/
ROR logo "ROR" https://ror.org/04c6bry31

Funders

Funder type

Other

Investigator initiated and funded

No information available

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date31/12/2020
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to shareYes
IPD sharing plan summaryOther
Publication and dissemination planPlanned publication in a high-impact peer-reviewed journal. The researchers are also preparing a protocol for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.
IPD sharing planThe datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study during this study will be included in the subsequent results publication.

Study outputs

Output type Details Date created Date added Peer reviewed? Patient-facing?
Participant information sheet version V1.0 07/11/2017 08/10/2020 No Yes
Results article 03/05/2021 13/08/2021 Yes No

Additional files

ISRCTN13672947_PIS_V1.0_07Nov17.pdf
Uploaded 08/10/2020

Editorial Notes

13/08/2021: Internal review.
05/05/2021: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. Publication reference added.
2. The total final enrolment was added.
08/10/2020: The participant information sheet has been uploaded.
15/09/2020: Trial's existence confirmed by Tallaght University Hospital/St James’s Hospital Joint Research Ethics Committee.