[Effect of acupuncture on quality of life in post-ischemic stroke patients with dysphagia].
OBJECTIVE
To observe the effect of acupuncture on quality of life (QOL) in post-ischemic stroke patients with dysphagia.


METHODS
Sixty-six patients with dysphagia were randomly assigned to 3 groups, the 23 patients in the electro-acupuncture (EA) group treated by EA, 18 in the control group received rehabilitation training combined with acupoint percutaneous electric stimulation, and 25 in the acupoint token puncturing (TP) group received rehabilitation training combined with acupoint TP, once every day for 20 days in total. Changes in QOL scale specified for dysphagia of patients before and after treatment were compared.


RESULTS
The total effective rate was 69.6% in the EA group, 50.0% in the control group and 64.0% in the TP group with insignificant difference among them (P > 0.05), but the improvements dealing with patients' general condition, time for taking food, frequency of uneasiness, emotion, appetite, social intercourse ability, fatigue, sleep and mental health, etc. in the EA group were superior to those in the other two groups (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Acupuncture could improve the QOL of patients with dysphagia after ischemic stroke.
Huang
Yin-Lan
YL
Traditional Chinese Medicine School of Ningxia Medical College, Yinchuan. lzdbe@163.com
Liang
Fan-Rong
FR
Chang
Hong-Sheng
HS
D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000150:complications*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011788:Quality of Life; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome