The Effectiveness of Electroacupuncture for Functional Constipation: A Randomized, Controlled, Clinical Trial.

Nili Da,Xun Jin,Guangyong Hu,Jiejing Bai,Xinjun Wang,Hairong Liu,Jianbin Zhang,Dan Zhu,Yangyang Zou,Xiaoqing Zhang,Chaoming Chen,Xiuzhu Xu

doi:10.1155/2015/670963

Abstract

Background. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been reported to treat functional constipation (FC). The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of EA with different needle insertion method for FC. Methods. Sixty-seven participants were randomly assigned to control (EA with shallow puncture) and EA (with deep puncture) groups. Every patient received 5 treatments per week in the first two weeks, then 3 treatments per week during the following six weeks. Complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBM), spontaneous bowel movements (SBM), Bristol stool scores (BSS), and Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life (PAC-QOL) were assessed. Results. Both shallow and deep EA significantly increased CSBM frequency compared to the baseline. CSBM was increased from 0.50 ± 0.59/wk to 2.00 ± 1.67/wk with deep EA and from 0.48 ± 0.59/wk to 1.33 ± 1.09/wk with shallow EA (P < 0.05, resp.). Similar finding was noted in SBM. Deep EA was more potent than shallow EA (P < 0.05) during the treatment period. No difference was found on BSS and PAC-QOL between two groups. Conclusion. It is effective and safe with EA to treat FC. Studies with large sample size and long-term observation are needed for further investigation.

Highlights

According to Rome III diagnostic criteria [1], functional constipation (FC) is characterized by hard, infrequent, or incomplete defecation
Participants were included if they met all of the following conditions: (1) diagnosed with FC according to the Roman III criteria [1]; (2) aged between 18 and 65 years; (3) Complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBM) ≤ twice per week at least three months; (4) without any treatments at least two weeks before joining this study
One hundred and nine volunteers were filtered in this study, and 37 volunteers were excluded due to either failure to meet the Rome III criteria or being afraid of needle insertion or lacking of time to complete the experiment

Summary

Introduction

According to Rome III diagnostic criteria [1], functional constipation (FC) is characterized by hard, infrequent, or incomplete defecation. Constipation seriously affects the quality of life [9]. Patients with constipation were known to have reduced quality of life. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been reported to treat functional constipation (FC). The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of EA with different needle insertion method for FC. Complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBM), spontaneous bowel movements (SBM), Bristol stool scores (BSS), and Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life (PAC-QOL) were assessed. Both shallow and deep EA significantly increased CSBM frequency compared to the baseline. CSBM was increased from 0.50 ± 0.59/wk to 2.00 ± 1.67/wk with deep EA and from 0.48 ± 0.59/wk to 1.33 ± 1.09/wk with shallow EA (P < 0.05, resp.). Studies with large sample size and long-term observation are needed for further investigation

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion