Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder without any structural lesion. FD is claimed to affect 25% of the population in South Korea. Although conventional approaches based on current evidence such as proton pump inhibitor and prokinetic agents have been used, many FD patients turn to traditional Korean Medicine treatment largely due to the lack of satisfactory effect of these treatments.~Acupuncture treatment, one of the most sought therapeutic modalities in traditional Korean Medicine, has been commonly used for gastrointestinal disorders in Korea. However, the effect of acupuncture on FD has not been rigorously evaluated. In the present study, we will investigate whether 8 sessions of acupuncture treatment over 4 weeks, in comparison with no acupuncture treatment, i.e. waitlist-control, improve symptoms of FD. Outcome measures include proportion of responder, Korean version of Nepean Dyspepsia Index, EuroQol-5 Dimension, Functional Dyspepsia-Related Quality of Life, Beck's Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and ghrelin hormone. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) will be also conducted to elucidate any possible difference in genotype between responders and non-responders to acupuncture treatment.
The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of acupuncture treatment on functional dyspepsia.