[Randomized controlled clinical trials for acupuncture treatment of aura-absence migraine patients]

To observe the therapeutic effect of acupuncture therapy for aura-absence migraine.

A total of 60 aura-absence migraine outpatients who signed an informed consent participated in the present study. They were randomized into medication group and acupuncture group (n = 30/group) according to a randomized number table and their visiting sequence. Patients of acupuncture group were treated by acupuncture of Ashi-point, Baihui (GV 20), Taiyang (EX-HN 5), Shuaigu (GB 8), Fengchi (GB 20), Benshen (GB 13) and Lieque (LU 7). The acupuncture needles were retained for 30 min after "Deqi", and the treatment was conducted once daily, 6 times every week and continuously for 4 weeks. Patients of the medication group were treated with oral administration of Flunarizine (10 mg/time, once every night) for 4 weeks. The SF-36 Quality-of-Life Instrument (SF-36) and integral scores of headache were measured before and after the treatment.

In comparison with the pre-treatment, scores of physical functioning (PF), role-physical (RP), bodily pain (BP), social functioning (SF), role-emotional (RE), vitality (VT), mental-health (MH) and general health (GH) of SF-36 in both medication and acupuncture groups were increased significantly (P < 0.05), and those of PF, RP and BP of the acupuncture group were significantly higher than the scores of the medication group (P < 0.05). The integral scores of headache were decreased significantly in both medication group and acupuncture group (P < 0.05), and those of the acupuncture group were remarkably lower than the scores of the medication group after the treatment (P < 0.05). Of the two 30 migraine patients in the medication and acupuncture groups, 1 (3.33%) and 9 (30.00%) were cured, 1 (3.33%) and 2 (6.67%) had a marked improvement in their symptoms, 9 (30.00%) and 8 (26.67%) were effective, 19 (63. 33%) and 11 (36.67%) were ineffective, with the total effective rates being 36.67% and 63.33%, respectively. The cure rate and the total effective rate of the acupuncture group were significantly higher than those of the medication group (P < 0.05).

Acupuncture therapy can raise the migraineurs' life quality, lessen the times and severity of headache attack, and its therapeutic effect is superior to that of medication.