Observations on the Efficacy of Scalp Acupuncture plus Medication for Post-stroke Depression

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of scalp acupuncture plus medication for post-stroke depression. Methods Sixty patients with post-stroke depression were randomly allocated to treatment,control and combination groups,20 cases each.The treatment group received scalp acupuncture,the control group,medication and the combination group,scalp acupuncture plus medication.The Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD) -24 item scores,the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores,and the Barthel Index(BI) scores for assessing the activities of daily living(ADL) were compared between the three groups before and after treatment.Results The cure and marked efficacy rate was 60%in the treatment group,60%in the control group and 85.0%in the combination group.It was significantly higher in the combination group than in the treatment group and in the control group(both P0.05).There were statistically significant pre-/post-treatment differences in all the scale scores in the three groups(P0.01,P0.05).There was a statistically significant post-treatment difference in HAMD score between the combination group and the treatment group or the control groups(P0.05).Conclusion Scalp acupuncture plus medication is an effective way to treat post-stroke depression.