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The Adjunctive Effects of Acupuncture for Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: a Single-Blinded Randomized Clinical Study
Dwi Rachma Helianthi1, Atikah C Barasila1,2, Salim Harris3
1Department of Medical Acupuncture, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia/Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National Central Public Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Insights
This study found that combining acupuncture with pharmacologic treatment significantly reduced cough duration in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. This integrated approach shows promise for managing mild-moderate symptoms and improving patient recovery outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Integrative Medicine
- Infectious Disease Research
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, can lead to severe complications like cytokine storm.
- No specific antiviral drug has proven universally effective for treating COVID-19.
- Mild-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms, particularly cough, can significantly impact patient well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of combining acupuncture with pharmacologic treatment for hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
- To assess the impact of this integrated approach on clinical and laboratory outcomes.
- To determine if acupuncture can ameliorate specific symptoms like cough in COVID-19 patients.
Main Methods:
- A single-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted with hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
- Participants received either pharmacologic treatment plus manual acupuncture or pharmacologic treatment alone.
- Clinical outcomes (cough duration) and laboratory markers (CBC, CRP, ferritin, ESR) were measured pre- and post-intervention.
Main Results:
- The acupuncture plus pharmacologic treatment group demonstrated a statistically significant shorter duration of cough symptoms compared to the control group.
- While lymphocyte count and ESR showed different trends between groups, differences were not statistically significant.
- Both groups exhibited a decrease in C-reactive protein and ferritin levels, without significant intergroup differences.
Conclusions:
- Combined acupuncture and pharmacologic treatment shows promise in reducing cough symptom duration for hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
- These preliminary findings suggest a potential benefit of integrative medicine in managing COVID-19 symptoms.
- Larger, rigorously designed studies are recommended to validate these encouraging results.
Background:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that can induce cytokine storm. To this point, no specific drug has been effective for curing COVID-19.
Objectives:
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a combination of acupuncture intervention and pharmacologic treatment in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with mild-moderate symptoms.
Methods:
A single-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial of hospitalized COVID-19 patients confirmed by RT-PCR examination with mild-moderate symptoms was conducted from August to September 2020. Participants were assigned to the treatment group (receiving pharmacologic treatment and manual acupuncture intervention) or the control group (receiving only pharmacologic treatment). Laboratory outcomes, including complete blood count, C-reactive protein (CRP) and ferritin levels, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), were measured before and after the intervention. For clinical outcomes, we evaluated the duration of the cough symptom.
Results:
We found that participants in the treatment group had a shorter duration of the cough symptom compared to the control group, and the difference was statistically significant. In the treatment group, we found an increase in the percentage of lymphocyte count and ESR, while in the control group, both parameters were decreased; however, the differences were not statistically significant. There was a decrease in the mean of CRP and ferritin levels in both groups, and the differences were not statistically significant.
Conclusion:
Our study has shown promising results for the effects of combined treatment of acupuncture and pharmacologic treatment on the duration of the cough symptom in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with mild-moderate symptoms. Further large-scale studies with rigorous design are needed to examine these preliminary results.
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