Can Acupuncture Treat Post-stroke Depression?

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2018-10-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

An 8-week, assessor-blind, randomized controlled trial will be conducted. A total of 138 patients with post-stroke depression (PSD) will be randomly assigned to the combination acupuncture treatment (CAI) (n = 69) or least acupuncture stimulation (LAS) (n = 69) for 3 sessions per week for 8 weeks. Treatment outcomes will be measured using the 17-item Hamilton Self-Rating Depression Scale (HAMD-17), the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) for depression symptoms; Barthel Index (BI) for physical function, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for cognitive performance. The assessment will be performed at baseline and once monthly thereafter. The study will be conducted in School of Chinese Medicine Clinics, Tung Wah Hospital, Kowloon Hospital.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong
• Collaborators: Kowloon Hospital, Hong Kong; Tung Wah Hospital
• Treatments: Antidepressive Agents

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. men or women aged 35 to 80 years old;

2. diagnosed as ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke within 18 months, confirmed with cerebral computed topographic scanning or magnetic resonance imaging; and

3. developed significant depressive episode, with score of 16 or greater in the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) and depression has lasted at least 2 weeks.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. presence of severe aphasia, especially fluent aphasia;

2. presence of severe cognitive dysfunction, as indicated by the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) score < 18;

3. history of psychiatric illness other than depression;

4. presence of another chronic disorder, including severe Parkinson's disease, cardiac disease, cancers, epilepsy, or chronic alcoholism;

5. having impaired hepatic or renal function; or (6) having bleeding tendency.