Early improvement to electroacupuncture at week 3 predicts ultimate response in patients with chronic severe functional constipation.
10.1016/j.joim.2025.04.004
- Author:
Zhi-Yi XIONG
1
;
Shi-Yan YAN
2
;
Si-Xing LIU
3
;
Zhi-Shun LIU
4
,
5
Author Information
1. Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China; School of Acupuncture Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
2. School of Acupuncture Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
3. Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China.
4. Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China. Electronic address: zhishunjournal@
5. com.
- Publication Type:Randomized Controlled Trial
- Keywords:
Chronic severe functional constipation;
Early improvement;
Electroacupuncture;
Prediction;
Treatment response
- MeSH:
Humans;
Constipation/physiopathology*;
Electroacupuncture;
Male;
Female;
Middle Aged;
Chronic Disease;
Adult;
Treatment Outcome;
Aged
- From:
Journal of Integrative Medicine
2025;23(3):274-281
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE:To investigate whether the presence or absence of improvement in chronic severe functional constipation (CSFC) at the early stage of treatment with electroacupuncture predicts subsequent response or non-response, and to determine the optimal treatment duration for assessing subsequent responses to electroacupuncture.
METHODS:This is a post hoc analysis using data pooled from two large-scale randomized controlled trials. Patients with CSFC were recruited, and those in the electroacupuncture groups were included in the present study. Early improvement was defined as a weekly increase of ≥1 complete spontaneous bowel movement (CSBM) compared to baseline. Three treatment response criteria were evaluated: ≥ 3 CSBMs per week, overall CSBM response, and sustained CSBM response. Predictive statistics, including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value, were calculated at weeks 1-4. Receiver operating characteristic curves and accuracy rates were used to determine the optimal timepoint for differentiation between responders and non-responders.
RESULTS:Cases from a total of 813 participants who received electroacupuncture were analyzed. The proportion of improvers was 40.34% by week 1, increasing to 52.52% by week 4. After 8 weeks of treatment, the response rates were 30.14%, 25.83% and 25.58% according to the three aforementioned criteria, respectively. Early improvement was a strong predictor of treatment response, with week 3 demonstrating the highest predictive accuracy.
CONCLUSION:Early improvement with electroacupuncture, especially at week 3, can predict subsequent outcomes. Our findings suggest that acupuncturists may identify non-responders who might require adjustments to therapeutic strategies early in treatment. Please cite this article as: Xiong ZY, Yan SY, Liu SX, Liu ZS. Early improvement to electroacupuncture at week 3 predicts ultimate response in patients with chronic severe functional constipation. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(3): 274-281.
