[Multicentral randomized controlled study on acupuncture at Sifeng (EX-UE 10) for treatment of infantile malnutrition].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate therapeutic effect of acupuncture at Sifeng (EX-UE 10) on infantile malnutrition.


METHODS
Multicentral, randomized, controlled and single blind test was adopted. 222 infants of malnutrition were divided into an acupuncture group (n=110) and a medicine group (n=112). The acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture at bilateral Sifeng (EX-UE 10), once each week, for 4 times; and the medicine group were treated with oral administration of Yiqi Jianpi Oral Liquid, twice each day, one ample each time, for 4 weeks. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by improvement of symptoms and signs in the syndrome cumulative score scale, and changes of serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), pre-albumin (PA), hemoglobin and red-cell count.


RESULTS
Two hundred and twenty-two cases were enrolled in the 4 centers and 212 cases completed the test. The acupuncture group in improvement of appetite, body weight, subcutaneous fat thickness of the abdomen, etc. were superior to the medicine group (P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference between the two groups in improvement of the body height. There was no significant increase of serum IGF-I level in the two groups, and the acupuncture group in increase of PA was superior to the medicine group (P < 0.05). After treatment, hemoglobin and red-cell count increased significantly in the treatment group (P < 0.01), and hemoglobin increased significantly in the medicine group.


CONCLUSIONS
Acupuncture at Sifeng (EX-UE 10) has obvious therapeutic effect on infantile malnutrition.
Liang
Fan-rong
FR
Chengdu University of TCM, Sichuan 610075, China. lfr@cdutcm.edu.cn
Xia
Xiao-hong
XH
Peng
Xiao-hong
XH
Yuan
Xiu-li
XL
Xu
Lin-bo
LB
Liu
Xiao-fan
XF
D015669:Acupuncture Points; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D001066:Appetite; D006801:Humans; D007228:Infant Nutrition Disorders; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016896:Treatment Outcome