A Clinical Comparative Study Of Grain-moxibustion Combined With Microacupuncture In The Treatment Of Herpes Zoster

Objective:To explore the difference of clinical efficacy between Grain-moxibustion combined with Scalp acupuncture,Grain-moxibustion combined with Wrist-Ankle acupuncture and drug treatment for herpes zoster and its immunological mechanism.Methods:A randomized,controlled and double-center(Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine,Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Shanghai Fourth People’s Hospital)study was conducted in this study.Eighty-one patients with primary herpes zoster who met the inclusion criteria were divided into control group,Grain-moxibustion+Scalp acupuncture group and Grain-moxibustion+Wrist-Ankle acupuncture group while receiving basic treatment.The treatment time was 5 days and the follow-up time was 30 days after admission.Before and after treatment,compare NRS pain grade,pain relief time,pain relief degree,incidence of PHN;observe the time and area of blister,scab formation time,scab removal time and rash area;examine cytokine indicators: serum interleukin(IL)1β,2R,6,8,10 and tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α);evaluate the overall clinical efficacy and safety indicators.Results:(1)Baseline: There was no significant difference in age,sex and course of disease among the three groups(P > 0.05).(2)Curative effect: The difference of effective rate among the groups was statistically significant,Grain-moxibustion+Scalp acupuncture group and Grain-moxibustion+Wrist-Ankle acupuncture group were higher than the control group(P=0.012).(3)Symptoms: There was significant difference in NRS score and pain relief time within group before and after treatment(P < 0.01);there was no significant difference in NRS score among the three groups after treatment,but there could be significant difference in maximum pain relief(P≈0.01);(4)Signs: There was no significant difference in bleb stopping time and area,scab forming time,scab removal time and rash area(P > 0.1).(5)Cytokines: There were significant differences in interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 among the three groups after treatment(P < 0.05).The improvement was more obvious in the Grain-moxibustion+Wrist-Ankleacupuncture group than the Grain-moxibustion+Scalp acupuncture group,and there was no significant difference in interleukin-1β,interleukin-2R and interleukin-10(P > 0.1).(6)Follow-up: The incidence of PHN in the three groups was significantly different(P< 0.05),and the incidence of PHN in the Grain-moxibustion+Wrist-Ankle acupuncture group was lower than that in the control group.(7)Safety: All three groups had good safety and high compliance.Conclusions : Similarly,on the premise of anti-virus in use of valaciclovir,Grain-moxibustion at spider point combined with Scalp acupuncture or Wrist-Ankle acupuncture can cure herpes zoster better and faster,prevent PHN,and its long-term regulation can have a beneficial effect on herpes zoster.When in the acute stage,the location of treatment can be selected according to the situation;when the treatment of PHN is ineffective,proximal or distal treatment can be chosen,which enlarges the thinking of diagnosis and treatment.