Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Anxiety Among Patients With Parkinson Disease

Abstract

ImportanceOne of the ordinary manifestations of Parkinson disease (PD) is anxiety, which remains untreated. Anxiety is closely associated with the accelerated progression of PD. Efficacy of acupuncture for anxiety has been reported. However, to date, there are no data on acupuncture’s effectiveness on anxiety for patients with PD.ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of acupuncture vs sham acupuncture for treating anxiety in patients with PD.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis is randomized, double-blinded, clinical trial enrolled patients between June 20, 2021, and February 26, 2022. Final follow-up was April 15, 2022. Patients with Parkinson disease and anxiety were allocated randomly (1:1) to receive acupuncture or sham acupuncture for 8 weeks. Acupuncture operators, outcome measures evaluators, and statistical analysts were blinded to the grouping of patients. Patients were blinded to their own grouping during the study. This study took place in the Parkinson clinic of a hospital in China.InterventionsReal acupuncture or sham acupuncture for 8 weeks.Main Outcomes and MeasuresPrimary outcome was Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) score. Secondary outcomes were scores on the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), 39-item Parkinson Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39), and serum levels of the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol (CORT).ResultsSeventy eligible patients were enrolled, including 34 women (48.5%) and 36 men (51.4%). Sixty-four patients (91%) completed the intervention and the 8-week follow-up, including 30 women (46.9%) and 34 men (53.1%) with a mean (SD) age of 61.84 (8.47) years. At the end of treatment, the variation of HAM-A score was 0.22 (95% CI, –0.63 to 1.07; P = .62) between the real acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups. At the end of follow-up, the real acupuncture group had a significant 7.03-point greater (95% CI, 6.18 to 7.88; P < .001) reduction in HAM-A score compared with the sham acupuncture group. Four mild adverse reactions occurred during the study.Conclusions and RelevanceThis study found acupuncture to be an effective treatment for anxiety in patients with PD. These findings suggest that acupuncture may enhance the wellbeing of patients who have Parkinson disease and anxiety.Trial RegistrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2100047253

Parkinson's disease constipation effect of electroacupuncture at ST25 through colonic motility and enteric neuropathology

“…The efficacy of acupuncture in treating motor ( 12 – 14 ) and NMS, such as cognitive impairment ( 44 ), constipation ( 18 , 19 ), insomnia ( 17 ), pain ( 45 ), and anxiety ( 15 ) in patients with PD has been widely supported by studies. Alternative therapies are reported to be used by 40% of people with PD, with acupuncture being the third most commonly used alternative therapy for PD ( 46 ).…”

“…In recent years, acupuncture has received increasing attention as a non-invasive treatment method. A growing number of studies have investigated the effectiveness of acupuncture targeting PD and other related disorders, such as motor dysfunction ( 12 – 14 ), anxiety ( 15 ), depression ( 16 ), insomnia ( 17 ), and constipation ( 18 , 19 ), with some positive results. Although existing systematic evaluations and meta-analyses have shown conflicting results for acupuncture for PD constipation due to significant heterogeneity and small sample sizes ( 20 – 24 ), the fact that acupuncture was considered an effective or safe treatment for functional constipation and gastrointestinal disorders ( 25 , 26 ) in some randomized trials.…”

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“…Acupuncture is currently used as a complementary and alternative therapy for PD in many countries [68][69][70][71]. Studies have shown that acupuncture significantly improves motor symptoms and NMSs in PD [37][38][39][72][73][74]. Acupuncturists can accurately control the frequency and parameters and quantify the intensity of the stimulation.…”

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