Clinical observation of the efficacy of electroacupuncture in the treatment of functional constipation

OBJECTIVE: To objectively evaluate the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture in the treatment of functional constipation by observing the changes in the constipation scoring scale and the Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life questionnaire (PAC-QOL) scores of patients with functional constipation before and after treatment. METHODS: 184 patients meeting the diagnostic criteria for functional constipation were randomly divided into 2 groups, an electroacupuncture treatment group and a Western medicine control group, with 92 cases each. In the electroacupuncture group, the main acupoints Zhongwan, Guanyuan and Tianshu (bilateral) were selected; after the arrival of qi, a Han's LH202H electroacupuncture device was connected and current applied for 30 min, once a day, 5 treatments per week, for 4 consecutive weeks of observation. The Western medicine control group received polyethylene glycol 4000 powder 10 g orally, twice a day, for 4 consecutive weeks. Two weeks constituted one course, for a total of two courses. The changes in the constipation scoring scale and PAC-QOL before and after treatment were observed, follow-up visits were conducted at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after treatment to evaluate long-term efficacy, and statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS: 1 Comparison of the component scores and total score of the constipation scoring scale (CCS) showed: in the electroacupuncture group, the differences in the component scores and total score before and after treatment were statistically significant (P<0.05); in the Western medicine group, the differences in the component scores and total score before and after treatment were statistically significant (P<0.05); in the between-group comparison of the post-treatment differences in component scores and total score, the differences for difficulty in defecation, defecation time, frequency of 1 time/day and the total score were significant (P<0.05), while the differences for stool type, anal heaviness and abdominal distension were not significant (P>0.05). This suggests that both treatments can improve difficulty in defecation, defecation time and frequency in constipated patients, with the electroacupuncture group superior to the Western medicine group, while there was no significant difference between the two groups in stool type, anal heaviness and abdominal distension, with comparable efficacy. 2 Comparison of PAC-QOL scores showed: within each group, the PAC-QOL differences before and after treatment were statistically significant (P<0.05); after treatment, the PAC-QOL difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). This suggests that both therapies can improve the quality of life of constipated patients, with the electroacupuncture group superior to the Western medicine group. 3 Analysis of the overall clinical efficacy of the two groups showed: the differences in the cure-plus-marked-effect rate and the total effective rate between the electroacupuncture group and the Western medicine group were not statistically significant (P>0.05), suggesting that the two groups had comparable efficacy in improving the cure-plus-marked-effect rate and total effective rate, and both had good efficacy. CONCLUSION: Clinical observation shows that electroacupuncture has definite efficacy in the treatment of functional constipation, with rapid onset and few adverse reactions, and is worth promoting in clinical practice.