title: Effect of 4 weeks of Acu-TENS on functional capacity and beta-endorphin level in subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: Our recent studies showed that one session of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on acupoints (Acu-TENS) improved forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV(1)) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study investigated the effect of 4-week Acu-TENS on physical and psychosocial function in these patients. Twenty-eight patients were randomly allocated to receive 4-weeks of 45-min, 5-days/week, of either Acu-TENS (over Dingchuan), Placebo-TENS (same protocol without electrical output), or Sham-TENS (over the patellae). Variables measured before and after intervention included FEV(1), forced vital capacity (FVC), 6-min walk distance (6MWD), St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire score (SGRQ), beta-endorphin and blood inflammatory marker levels. Only the Acu-TENS group attained significant improvement in FEV(1) (p=0.046), physical activity (p=0.007) and total SGRQ score (p=0.028). The increase in beta-endorphin (p=0.012) correlated positively with the improvement in FEV(1) (r=0.526, p=0.008). To conclude, 4 weeks of Acu-TENS improved the functional capacity of patients with COPD, probably due to the bronchodilation induced by beta-endorphin elevation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Shirley P C
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Ngai
authors.forename: Alice Y M
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Christina W Y
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Hui-Chan
authors.forename: Fanny W S
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: David S C
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Hui
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000628:therapy*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests / Q000379:methods; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood; D014797:Vital Capacity / Q000502:physiology*; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016209:Interleukin-8; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D001615:beta-Endorphin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein