title: [Clinical observation on ankylosing spondylitis treated with acupoint catgut embedding combined vessel pricking therapy].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the efficacy and safety of acupoint catgut embedding combined with vessel pricking therapy for ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-six cases of AS were randomly divided into an acupoint catgut embedding combined vessel pricking group (group A) and a medication group(group B), 43 cases in each group. In the group A, acupoint catgut embedding combined with vessel pricking therapy were applied at Shenshu(BL 23), Dazhu (BL 11) and Jiaji (EX-B 2) etc. The group B was treated with oral administration of Sulfasalazine (SASP). The treatment lasted for 8 weeks. Symptom score, Visual Analogue Scale(VAS), the indices of morning stiff duration, Schober test, occiput to wall distance, chest expansion, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-response protein (CRP) were compared before and after treatment between two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After treatment, the total effective rate was 83.7% (36/43) in the group A, which was superior to that of 70.0% (28/40) in the group B (P < 0.05). The improvements of all indices in two groups were more significant than those before treatment (all P < 0.01), and symptom score, Schober test score and VAS score in group A were superior to those in the group B (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). No adverse reaction occurred in the group A.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The therapeutic effect of acupoint catgut embedding combined with vessel pricking therapy for AS is preferable without any adverse effects, which is superior to that of oral administration of SASP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pain, Affiliated Hospital of Henan Academy of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450004, China.
authors.forename: Yuan-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Lei-Sheng
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xin-Yi
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wei-Qi
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001815:Bloodletting; D002398:Catgut; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult