Clinical Study On The Effect Of Acupuncture In Treating Opioid-induced Constipation

Objective: To observe the clinical effects and the quality of life after acupuncture treatment on patients with opioid-induced constipation(OIC).Methods: By using randomized controlled trial method,70 patients from the affiliated hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine are divided into two groups,35 cases in the treatment group(acupuncture group)and 35 cases in the control group(lactulose group).The research lasts for 3 weeks,including 1 circle(2 weeks)for treatment time and one week for follow-up time.Then we record the data after treatment and follow-up,which are consisted of the condition of constipation and quality of life.Finally,the scores are calculated and dealt with by statistical analysis.Results: In this study,65 patients complete the treatment at last,including 33 cases in treatment group and 32 cases in control group.Comparison within the group: The PAC-QOL score,CCS score,and TCM syndrome scores in treatment group and the control group are all reduced than before,which means the differences are statistically significant(P <0.05),suggesting that both groups can improve the condition of OIC.Besides,the NRS pain score of the treatment group is reduced after treatment and follow-up(P <0.05),suggesting that acupuncture has a certain analgesic effect,and it also has a long-term effect.Comparison between two groups: The TCM syndrome score and NRS pain score of the treatment group are significantly improved compared with the control group,and the difference is statistically significant,suggesting that the treatment group is better than the control group in improving the TCM syndromes of patients.The NRS pain score is superior to the control group,suggesting that acupuncture can relieve pain.In the comparison between the two groups during follow-up,the treatment group is significantly different from the control group in PAC-QOL score,CCS score,TCM syndrome score,and NRS pain score(P <0.05),indicating that acupuncture has a long-term effect in treating patients with OIC.Conclusion: Compared with the control group,the treatment group appears to be more effective,which can improve the quality of life,alleviate the symptoms of constipation and relieve pain to a certain extent.Therefore,acupuncture treatment is a kind of safe and effective method that is worth popularizing in clinic.