Electroacupuncture combined with mosapride alleviates symptoms in diabetic patients with gastroparesis

Abstract

Abstract. The present study compared the clinical effectiveness of electroacupuncture (EA), monotherapy and combination therapy involving the administration of EA and mosapride in diabetic patients with severe or mild symptoms suggestive of gastroparesis. A total of 56 patients with type 2 diabetes who had symptoms suggestive of gastroparesis for >3 months were divided into two groups according to the Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GCSI) score, including 33 in the mild group (GCSI score <3.5) and 23 in the severe group (GCSI score ≥3.5). Initially, all patients received EA monotherapy for 14 days. An effective response was defined as a reduction of the overall baseline GCSI score by >25% after treatment. The non-responding patients then received a combination treatment with EA and mosapride. Gastric emptying was assessed by the 13 C-octanoic acid breath test at the beginning and end of each treatment session. Two patients in the severe group dropped out of the study during the initial treatment session. The results revealed that 34 early-responding patients (30 from the mild group and 4 from the severe group) treated with EA monotherapy, and 20 non-early-responding patients receiving combination therapy with EA and mosapride showed clinically significant improvements. Analysis of data from the mild subgroup demonstrated that EA treatment specifically improved symptoms of nausea, vomiting, stomach fullness, excessive fullness and bloating. There was no statistically significant difference in the gastric half-emptying time among patients prior to and after EA monotherapy. These preliminary results suggested that EA may be an option for improving mild symptoms in patients with diabetic gastroparesis, whereas combination therapy involving EA and pharmaceutics is required in patients with severe symptoms.

Effects of stimulating single acupoint and combination acupoints on diabetic gastroparesis: A randomised controlled trial study

“…The efficacy of acupuncture therapy in DGP patients has been confirmed in various clinical trial studies. 18 , 36 , 37 Building on these, our study sought to identify the most effective acupoints for DGP treatment.…”

Electroacupuncture inhibits hippocampal neuronal apoptosis and improves cognitive dysfunction in mice with vascular dementia via the JNK signaling pathway

“…These characteristics make EA popular in clinical and scientific research. 17,18 Previous studies have indicated that acupuncture exerts its therapeutic effects by promoting cerebral blood flow, [19][20][21] preventing apoptosis of neuronal cells 22,23 and improving neurobehavioral performance. 24 Our previous research found that EA at GV20 (Baihui), BL17 (Geshu) and BL23 (Shenshu) can reduce the apoptosis of hippocampal neurons in a mouse model of VaD.…”

Electroacupuncture Regularizes Gastric Contraction and Reduces Apoptosis of Interstitial Cells of Cajal in Diabetic Rats

“…ST36 is located laterally below the knee about 5 mm beside the anterior tubercle of the tibia ( Yang et al, 2020 ). In the past years, numerous studies have manifested that EA at ST36 has been widely accepted to treat diabetic patients with symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, abdominal bloating, and abdominal pain ( Wang, 2004 ; Liu et al, 2012 ; Pan et al, 2017 ). Unfortunately, the underlying mechanisms of EA at ST36 on diabetic gastric motility dysfunction have not yet been elucidated.…”