Researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania are launching a new study to help people with cirrhosis manage long-term pain without using medications.
This year-long study is called ALLEVIATE-C, which stands for “Application of Lifestyle Enhancing Validated Integrative Therapies for Everyday Pain in Cirrhosis.”
Cirrhosis is a serious liver disease that affects more than 2 million people in the U.S. every year. It causes permanent damage to the liver and leads to a number of serious health problems.
One of the most difficult symptoms for patients is chronic pain, which can affect up to 79% of people with the disease. Pain from cirrhosis can be long-lasting, hard to treat, and often impacts daily life.
Doctors often turn to pain medications to help, but these drugs do not always work well and can be dangerous. Some medications, especially opioids, may make things worse by increasing the risk of falls and causing problems like confusion or memory loss, known as hepatic encephalopathy.
Because of these risks, researchers are looking for safer options that patients can use on their own at home.
The ALLEVIATE-C study has been approved for $13 million in funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), a group that supports research focused on improving care for people with long-term health problems.
This funding will help researchers compare two different programs that teach patients how to manage pain in daily life without medications.
The study will follow patients for 12 months. Participants will be randomly placed in one of two groups. The first group, called the “low-touch” group, will receive 12 learning modules that they complete on their own. They will also receive a fitness tracker to help monitor their activity.
The second group, the “high-touch” group, will have regular support from a health coach through video or phone calls. These participants will be able to choose whether they want to focus on meditation or walking as their main activity.
The researchers leading the study are Dr. Elliot Tapper from the University of Michigan and Dr. Marina Serper from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Tapper has already done earlier studies that showed meditation and stretching can help relieve nighttime muscle cramps in people with cirrhosis.
The hope is that this new research will provide solid evidence that simple, low-risk lifestyle changes like stretching, walking, or meditation can truly help patients feel better and improve their quality of life.
These approaches are especially important for cirrhosis patients, many of whom are being prescribed strong painkillers that may do more harm than good.
The ALLEVIATE-C study is designed to give both doctors and patients more information and better options for managing chronic pain. With better evidence, healthcare providers may be able to offer safer, more personalized ways to help people with cirrhosis live more comfortably.
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