Acupuncture as adjunctive therapy for acute cerebral infarction: a randomized clinical trial
BackgroundAcute cerebral infarction (ACI) is the second leading cause of death and the major cause of disability worldwide, and there is an increasing interest in non-pharmacological treatments. Acupuncture has promising effects on ACI, but its efficacy and safety need to be verified through well-de...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neurology |
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| author | Jiang-Peng Cao Jiang-Peng Cao Jiang-Peng Cao Xin-Yue Du Xiao-Xi Liu Xiao-Xi Liu Meng-Han Li Meng-Han Li Man Zhang Sheng-Xuan Guo Sheng-Xuan Guo Qiu-Han Cai Qiu-Han Cai Jia-Xin Zhang Jia-Xin Zhang Jia-Xin Zhang Shan-Shan Sun Shan-Shan Sun Shan-Shan Sun Jia-Wei Han Lin-Ling Chen Na Zheng Lan-Yu Jia Gui-Ping Li Gui-Ping Li Yuan-Hao Du Yuan-Hao Du |
| author_facet | Jiang-Peng Cao Jiang-Peng Cao Jiang-Peng Cao Xin-Yue Du Xiao-Xi Liu Xiao-Xi Liu Meng-Han Li Meng-Han Li Man Zhang Sheng-Xuan Guo Sheng-Xuan Guo Qiu-Han Cai Qiu-Han Cai Jia-Xin Zhang Jia-Xin Zhang Jia-Xin Zhang Shan-Shan Sun Shan-Shan Sun Shan-Shan Sun Jia-Wei Han Lin-Ling Chen Na Zheng Lan-Yu Jia Gui-Ping Li Gui-Ping Li Yuan-Hao Du Yuan-Hao Du |
| author_sort | Jiang-Peng Cao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundAcute cerebral infarction (ACI) is the second leading cause of death and the major cause of disability worldwide, and there is an increasing interest in non-pharmacological treatments. Acupuncture has promising effects on ACI, but its efficacy and safety need to be verified through well-designed randomized clinical trials. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture as adjunctive therapy to improve neurological function in patients with ACI.MethodsThe multicenter, sham-controlled, patient- and assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted in 4 tertiary hospitals in China from January to September 2024. All participants received standard care as recommended by the guidelines and were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to manual acupuncture (MA), sham acupuncture (SA), or standard care (SC) only. Participants in the MA and SA groups received acupuncture treatment 6 times weekly for 2 weeks for a total of 12 sessions. The primary outcome was the change in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score from baseline to 14 days. Safety outcomes included adverse events and serious adverse events.ResultsA total of 132 patients (median [IQR] age, 65 [58–69] years; 96 men [72.73%]), with a median (IQR) baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 11 (9–12) points, were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Ten patients withdrew during the 14-day intervention, and another 7 patients withdrew during the 90-day follow-up. During the 14-day intervention, the median neurological impairment was significantly improved in the MA group compared to the SA group (4 [3, 5] vs. 3 [1.25, 4] points; Cohen’s d, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.33 to 1.19; p = 0.001). Adverse events occurred relatively equally between the MA and SA groups (19 [43.2%] vs. 13 [29.5%]; relative risk, 1.46; 95% CI, 0.83 to 2.58; p = 0.184).ConclusionTwelve sessions of MA were safe and effective in improving the neurological function of patients with ACI. The results of this trial indicate that MA can be recommended as a routine, supplemental therapy for improving neurological function in patients with ACI.Clinical trial registrationChiCTR2300079204 (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, http://www.chictr.org.cn, registered on 27/12/2023). |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1664-2295 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neurology |
| spelling | doaj-art-5e849f5e628e4c6d93071db115f9f6f02025-08-20T02:09:17ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952025-04-011610.3389/fneur.2025.15092041509204Acupuncture as adjunctive therapy for acute cerebral infarction: a randomized clinical trialJiang-Peng Cao0Jiang-Peng Cao1Jiang-Peng Cao2Xin-Yue Du3Xiao-Xi Liu4Xiao-Xi Liu5Meng-Han Li6Meng-Han Li7Man Zhang8Sheng-Xuan Guo9Sheng-Xuan Guo10Qiu-Han Cai11Qiu-Han Cai12Jia-Xin Zhang13Jia-Xin Zhang14Jia-Xin Zhang15Shan-Shan Sun16Shan-Shan Sun17Shan-Shan Sun18Jia-Wei Han19Lin-Ling Chen20Na Zheng21Lan-Yu Jia22Gui-Ping Li23Gui-Ping Li24Yuan-Hao Du25Yuan-Hao Du26Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, ChinaNational Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, ChinaDepartment of Graduate School, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, ChinaDepartment of Graduate School, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, ChinaDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, ChinaNational Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, ChinaDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, ChinaNational Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, ChinaThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, ChinaDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, ChinaNational Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, ChinaDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, ChinaNational Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, ChinaDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, ChinaNational Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, ChinaDepartment of Graduate School, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, ChinaDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, ChinaNational Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, ChinaDepartment of Graduate School, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, ChinaFirst Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, ChinaHuzhou Central Hospital, Huzhou, ChinaTianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin, ChinaTianjin Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital, Tianjin, ChinaDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, ChinaNational Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, ChinaDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, ChinaNational Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, ChinaBackgroundAcute cerebral infarction (ACI) is the second leading cause of death and the major cause of disability worldwide, and there is an increasing interest in non-pharmacological treatments. Acupuncture has promising effects on ACI, but its efficacy and safety need to be verified through well-designed randomized clinical trials. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture as adjunctive therapy to improve neurological function in patients with ACI.MethodsThe multicenter, sham-controlled, patient- and assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted in 4 tertiary hospitals in China from January to September 2024. All participants received standard care as recommended by the guidelines and were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to manual acupuncture (MA), sham acupuncture (SA), or standard care (SC) only. Participants in the MA and SA groups received acupuncture treatment 6 times weekly for 2 weeks for a total of 12 sessions. The primary outcome was the change in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score from baseline to 14 days. Safety outcomes included adverse events and serious adverse events.ResultsA total of 132 patients (median [IQR] age, 65 [58–69] years; 96 men [72.73%]), with a median (IQR) baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 11 (9–12) points, were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Ten patients withdrew during the 14-day intervention, and another 7 patients withdrew during the 90-day follow-up. During the 14-day intervention, the median neurological impairment was significantly improved in the MA group compared to the SA group (4 [3, 5] vs. 3 [1.25, 4] points; Cohen’s d, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.33 to 1.19; p = 0.001). Adverse events occurred relatively equally between the MA and SA groups (19 [43.2%] vs. 13 [29.5%]; relative risk, 1.46; 95% CI, 0.83 to 2.58; p = 0.184).ConclusionTwelve sessions of MA were safe and effective in improving the neurological function of patients with ACI. The results of this trial indicate that MA can be recommended as a routine, supplemental therapy for improving neurological function in patients with ACI.Clinical trial registrationChiCTR2300079204 (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, http://www.chictr.org.cn, registered on 27/12/2023).https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1509204/fullacute cerebral infarctionacupunctureefficacysafetyrandomized controlled trial |
| spellingShingle | Jiang-Peng Cao Jiang-Peng Cao Jiang-Peng Cao Xin-Yue Du Xiao-Xi Liu Xiao-Xi Liu Meng-Han Li Meng-Han Li Man Zhang Sheng-Xuan Guo Sheng-Xuan Guo Qiu-Han Cai Qiu-Han Cai Jia-Xin Zhang Jia-Xin Zhang Jia-Xin Zhang Shan-Shan Sun Shan-Shan Sun Shan-Shan Sun Jia-Wei Han Lin-Ling Chen Na Zheng Lan-Yu Jia Gui-Ping Li Gui-Ping Li Yuan-Hao Du Yuan-Hao Du Acupuncture as adjunctive therapy for acute cerebral infarction: a randomized clinical trial Frontiers in Neurology acute cerebral infarction acupuncture efficacy safety randomized controlled trial |
| title | Acupuncture as adjunctive therapy for acute cerebral infarction: a randomized clinical trial |
| title_full | Acupuncture as adjunctive therapy for acute cerebral infarction: a randomized clinical trial |
| title_fullStr | Acupuncture as adjunctive therapy for acute cerebral infarction: a randomized clinical trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | Acupuncture as adjunctive therapy for acute cerebral infarction: a randomized clinical trial |
| title_short | Acupuncture as adjunctive therapy for acute cerebral infarction: a randomized clinical trial |
| title_sort | acupuncture as adjunctive therapy for acute cerebral infarction a randomized clinical trial |
| topic | acute cerebral infarction acupuncture efficacy safety randomized controlled trial |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1509204/full |
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