Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Efficacy of a combination of Yiqi Huoxue Tongluo decoction and Chinese acupuncture in the treatment of ischemic stroke, and its effect on neurological function and activity of daily living

Zikui Huang, Fei Li, Baoquan Xie, Xuchun Zhong

Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ganzhou People's Hospital, Ganzhou 341000, China;

For correspondence:- Xuchun Zhong Email: xfv8py@163.com

Accepted: 30 December 2021 Published: 31 January 2022

Citation: Huang Z, Li F, Xie B, Zhong X. Efficacy of a combination of Yiqi Huoxue Tongluo decoction and Chinese acupuncture in the treatment of ischemic stroke, and its effect on neurological function and activity of daily living. Trop J Pharm Res 2022; 21(1):185-191 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v21i1.27

© 2022 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the clinical effect of combined use of Yiqi Huoxue Tongluo decoction and Chinese acupuncture on ischemic stroke, and its effect on neurological function and activity of daily living (ADL) of patients.

Methods: Three hundred and seventeen (317) ischemic stroke patients on admission at Ganzhou People's Hospital (GPH) were selected and randomly divided into acupuncture group (n = 159) and combination group (n = 158). Routine treatment of lesions was done for all patients. The acupuncture group was treated with Chinese acupuncture, while the combination group received a combination of Yiqi Huoxue Tongluo decoction and Chinese acupuncture. All treatments lasted for one month. Indicators such as clinical efficacy, neurological function and ADL were determined in each group.

Results: The combination group had significantly higher post-treatment objective response rate (ORR) than the acupuncture group (p < 0.05). The levels of growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) were significantly reduced in both groups, with significantly lower levels in the combination group than in acupuncture patients (p < 0.05). Varying degrees of decrease in neuropathy disability (NDS) scores were seen in both groups, and at 1 month and 3 months after treatment, the NDS scores of the combination group were lower than those of the acupuncture group (p < 0.05). Both groups had higher BI scores after treatment, but at 1 month and 3 months post-treatment, the BI scores of the combination group were significantly higher than those of the acupuncture group (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The use of a combination of Yiqi Huoxue Tongluo decoction and Chinese acupuncture produced better clinical efficacy and lower serum levels of GDF-15 and PAI-1 than acupuncture, and it significantly improved the ADL of patients.

Keywords: Ischemic stroke, Neurological function, Chinese acupuncture, Yiqi Huoxue Tongluo decoction, Activity of daily living (ADL)