The effect of acupuncture on plasma endothelin content in cerebral infarction patients--a clinical study.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture on content of plasma endothelin in cerebral infarction patients. METHODS: The plasma endothelin content in cerebral infarction patients was observed before and after acupuncture, which was compared with that of the medication group and the healthy subjects. RESULTS: Before treatment, the content of plasma endothelin in cerebral infarction patients was significantly higher than that of the healthy subjects (P<0.01); after acupuncture treatment, the content greatly decreased (P<0.01), and there was a statistically significant difference between the acupuncture group and the medication group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture may decrease the content of plasma endothelin in the cerebral infarction patients, improve the vascular elasticity, and improve the cerebral circulation of blood.