Impact of electroacupuncture on quality of lifefor patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis under treatment with immunomodulators: A randomized study

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Research Article

Wanderley D Silveira¹  Benito P Damasceno²  Leonilda MB Santos³  Juan G Quispe-Cabanillas⁴  Alfredo Damasceno⁵  Carlos O Brandão⁵  Felipe von Glehn⁵ 

[1] Department of Genetics, Evolution and Bioagents, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil;Department of Neurology, University of Campinas(UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil;Neuroimmunology Unit, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Bioagents, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil;Neuroimmunology Unit, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Bioagents, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil;Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil;Neuroimmunology Unit, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Bioagents, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil;Department of Neurology, University of Campinas(UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil;

关键词: Multiple sclerosis;    Electroacupuncture;    Pain;    Depression;    Chinese traditional medicine;    Symptoms;    Quality of life;    Randomised control trial;    Expanded disability status scale;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1472-6882-12-209

 received in 2012-02-27, accepted in 2012-09-12,  发布年份 2012

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex autoimmune disease mediated by an immune response to central nervous system antigens. Modern immunomodulatory therapies, however, do not ameliorate many of the symptoms, such as pain and depression. Patients thus seek alternative treatments, such as acupuncture, although the benefits of such treatments have not been objectively evaluated. The present study was thus designed to evaluate the effect of the use of acupuncture in the alleviation of the symptoms of patients with MS.MethodsThirty-one patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis undergoing treatment with immunomodulators were randomly distributed into sex-stratified experimental and placebo groups in a patient- and evaluator-blind design; they received either true or sham electroacupuncture during regular visits to the doctor in the university hospital outpatient clinic. Standardized questionnaires were used to evaluate the effect of electroacupuncture on the quality of life of these patients. Initial and follow-up assessment included the evaluation of clinical status (Expanded Disability Status Scale), pain (Visual Analogue Scale) and quality of life (Functional Assessment of multiple Sclerosis) to ascertain the impact of electroacupuncture on the quality of life of these patients.ResultsElectroacupuncture improved various aspects of quality of life, including a reduction in pain and depression. The self-report scales were more sensitive to improvement than was the more objective clinical measure.ConclusionThis paper provides evidence that electroacupuncture can significantly improve the quality of life of such patients. The results suggest that the routine use of a self-report scale evaluating quality of life should be included in regular clinical evaluations in order to detect changes more rapidly.Trial RegistrationRBR-58yq52

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Quispe-Cabanillas et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012