Efecto de la acupuntura láser en la tasa de flujo salival en pacientes con síndrome de Sjögren

Abstract

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a multisystem autoimmune disease characterized by hypofunction of the salivaly and lacrimal glands, frequently relieved with symptomatic treatments, such as saliva substitutes, eye lubricants, and cholinergic stimulators. The aim of this pilot randomized placebo-controlled study was to estimate the effects of laser acupuncture on salivaly flow rates in patients with severe hyposalivation due to SS. A prospective cohort of 26 female patients affected by SS has been evaluated. The laser therapy equipment used was the Pointer Pulse, emitting light in the red visible spectrum (650nm), with a power of 5mW and an irradiation time of 120s per acupoint, in an area of 3.14mm2 (fluence = 19.2J/cm2, power density = 0.16W/cm2, total dose = 0.6 J). The following acupuncture points were stimulated bilaterally: LI 2 Erjian, ST 5 Daying, ST 6 Jiache, ST 7 Xiaguan, SI 19 Tinggong, and BL 13 Feishu. True laser acupuncture led to a significantly higher amount of saliva production, measured after the end of the protocol (5 weeks), and during the 6-month follow-up period. The results are stable from the end of the protocol until the 3rd month of follow-up; during the last control, a slight but significant decrease in production has also been shown. This preliminary study proposes laser acupuncture as a possible treatment for improving salivaly flow rates in patients with SS, but further validation on a larger sample is still necessary.