[Observation on therapeutic effect of acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal decoction on compensated liver cirrhosis].

Objective: To compare the clinical effect difference between acupuncture combined with Chinese herb plus western medicine and simple western medicine in the treatment of compensated liver cirrhosis.

Methods: Eighty cases were divided into a high viral load group and a low viral load group according to HBV-DNA test. The patients in two groups were randomly divided into a Chinese medicine plus western medicine treatment group (group A, group C) and a western medicine treatment group (Group B,group D), respectively, 20 cases in each group. The group A was treated with acupuncture at Ganshu (BL 18), Qimen (LR 14), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), etc. and oral administration of Chinese herbal decoction combined with Heptodin tablets; the group B with oral administration of Glucurolactone tablets combined with Heptodin tablets; the group C was treated with acupuncture at Ganshu (BL 18), Qimen (LR 14), Taixi (KI 3), etc. and oral administration of Chinese herbal decoction; the group D with oral administration of Glucurolactone tablets alone. After they were treated for 30 days, their therapeutic effects and the negative conversion rate of HBV-DNA were observed.

Results: The total effective rate of 95.0% in the group A was better than 70.0% in the group B, and the total effective rate of 95.0% in the group C was better than 65.0% in the group D (both P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the negative conversion rate of HBV-DNA between group A and group B or between group C and group D (both P > 0.05).

Conclusion: Acupuncture combined with Chinese herb plus western medicine treatment can more significantly improve clinical symptoms of the patients with compensated liver cirrhosis than simple western medicine therapy.