FRIDAY, Jan. 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Acupuncture may improve language function in patients with poststroke motor aphasia, according to a study published online Jan. 22 in JAMA Network Open.
Boxuan Li, from the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China, and colleagues investigated the effects of acupuncture on language function, neurological function, and quality of life in patients with poststroke motor aphasia. The analysis included 252 adult patients with poststroke motor aphasia (Oct. 21, 2019, to Nov. 13, 2021) randomly assigned to six weeks of manual acupuncture or sham acupuncture.
The researchers found that compared with sham treatment, the manual acupuncture group had significant increases in aphasia quotient (AQ) of the Western Aphasia Battery (difference, 7.99 points) and Chinese Functional Communication Profile (CFCP) scores (difference, 23.51 points) at week 6. These significant improvements persisted at six-month follow-up (AQ: difference, 10.34; CFCP: difference, 27.43).
“The study results confirmed that poststroke motor aphasia was the dominant condition affected by the acupuncture treatment, indicating that acupuncture might serve as an adjunctive treatment for patients with poststroke motor aphasia,” the authors write. “In addition, the clinical effects and safety results provide evidence for policymakers, clinicians, and patients regarding the management of poststroke aphasia with acupuncture.”
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