Clinical study on treatment of poststroke depression by acupuncture combined with conventional therapy of western medicine

Objective To evaluate the curative effect of acupuncture combined with conventional therapy for the treatment of post-stroke depression (PSD). Methods Sixty patients were divided into two groups according to the computer. Acupuncture group was treated with acupuncture combined with conventional therapy of western medicine. Non-acupuncture group was treated with sham acupuncture combined with conventional therapy. Both groups were treated for 4 weeks. The patients was evaluated using the Hamilton depression rating for scale (HAMD). Adverse reactions during treatment were assessed by the Treatment emergent Symptom Scale (TESS). Results The HAMD score at the first week (27.1 ± 6.1 vs. 30.8 ± 5.0, t=-5.532), the second week (26.6 ± 6.3 vs. 15.8 ± 7.3, t=2.744), the 4th week (15.8 ± 7.3 vs. 20.7 ± 5.2, t=3.570), and the 8th week (9.9 ± 6.2 vs. 15.6 ± 5.7, t=6.154) in the acupuncture group were lower than those in the non-acupuncture group (P<0.01). During the treatment, 2 cases of insommia occurred in acupuncture group, 8 cases of insommia occurred in nonacupuncture group, 2 cases of nausea and vomiting occurred in acupuncture group, 9 cases of nausea and vomiting occurred in nonacupuncture group(χ2=10.550, P=0.001). Conclusions Acupuncture combined with conventional therapy can improve the depressive state of PSD patients, reduce the adverse reactions and improve the quality of life of patients. Key words: Stroke; Depression; Acupuncture therapy; Fluoxetine; Rehabilitation (TCM); Comparative effectiveness research