Non-Pharmacological Interventions for the Treatment of Raynaud’s phenomenon—A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this systematic review is to describe existing literature pertaining to the use of non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) for the management of primary or secondary Raynaud’s Phenomenon (RP) compared to placebo. Methods: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, and EMBASE were searched from their inception to the present for randomized controlled trials and clinical trials for studies assessing the therapeutic effects NPIs in primary or secondary RP. The studies were screened, and data were extracted by two reviewers. The major outcomes assessed included frequency (per week) and duration (minutes) of attacks and pain. Results: We found 23 parallel or crossover RCTs, 5 of which were not discussed in this review. The categories of NPIs included acupuncture and other needling techniques (n=4), temperature biofeedback (n=4), lasers and electrotherapy (n=5), exercise therapy (n=2), gas therapy (n=1), therapeutic gloves (n=1), and ischemic preconditioning (n=1). Most studies demonstrated trends towards therapeutic benefit; however, there was substantial heterogeneity amongst the studies. Laser therapy had the most consistent evidence; 60% and 75% of the studies reported significant improvements in frequency of attacks per week and pain. Acupuncture therapies had minimal statistically significant benefits and the data for temperature biofeedback were inconsistent and of low quality. Exercise therapy is more recently being explored showing a marked therapeutic benefit for pain. Conclusion: The evidence is limited and inconsistent; however, the studies demonstrated a trend towards therapeutic benefits, with laser and electrotherapy having the most consistent evidence. Further high-quality and multi-center RCTs are required.

Keywords

• Raynaud’s phenomenon
• non-pharmacologic interventions
• systematic review
• rheumatology
• Dermatology