Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and mechanism of modified Taohong Siwu decoction combined with acupoint application in the treatment of patients with postherpetic neuralgia(PHN).Methods 93 PHN pa-tients treated in the Pain Department of the Hospital of Chengdu University of TCM from February 2021 to February 2023 were selected.They were divided into a control group(46 cases)and an observation group(47 cases)according to the order of admission.In the control group,3 cases dropped out;in the observation group,2 cases dropped out,resulting in 88 pa-tients completing the trial,with 44 cases in each group.The control group received conventional Western medicine treat-ment,while the observation group received modified Taohong Siwu decoction combined with acupoint application in addition to the treatment given to the control group.After 4 weeks of treatment,the pain levels[visual analog scales(VAS),pain du-ration score,pain interval score],inflammation factors[cyclooxygenase 2(COX-2),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-6(IL-6),Interleukin-1β(IL-1β),Interleukin-10(IL-10)],pain mediators[substance P(SP),neu-ropeptide Y(NPY),β-endorphin(β-EP)],and T lymphocyte subsets(CD3+,CD4+,CD8+,CD4+/CD8+)were ob-served and compared before and after treatment to assess clinical efficacy and safety.Results After treatment,VAS,pain duration scores,and pain interval scores were significantly lower in both groups compared to before treatment,with statisti-cally significant differences(P＜0.05);the pain scores in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group,with a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).After treatment,COX-2,TNF-α,IL-6,and IL-1βlevels were significantly reduced,while IL-10 levels were significantly increased in both groups compared to before treat-ment,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05);the levels of COX-2,TNF-α,IL-6,and IL-1β in the obser-vation group were significantly lower,and IL-10 levels were significantly higher compared to the control group,with statis-tically significant differences(P＜0.05).Serum SP and NPY levels were significantly lower,whileβ-EP levels were sig-nificantly higher in both groups compared to before treatment,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05);serum SP and NPY levels in the observation group were significantly lower,andβ-EP levels were significantly higher compared to the control group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).CD3+,CD4+,and CD4+/CD8+levels increased,while CD8+levels decreased significantly in both groups after treatment compared to before treatment,with statistically sig-nificant differences(P＜0.05);the levels of CD3+,CD4+,and CD4+/CD8+in the observation group were significantly higher,and CD8+levels were significantly lower compared to the control group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).The overall clinical efficacy rate in the observation group was 90.91％(40/44),significantly higher than 79.55％(35/44)in the control group,with a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).During the treatment period,there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion Modified Taohong Siwu decoction combined with acupoint application effectively alleviates pain symptoms in PHN patients.The clinical efficacy is significant,and the mechanism is likely related to reducing the expression of inflam-matory factors,inhibiting the release of pain mediators,and regulating immune function.
Modified Taohong Siwu DecoctionAcupoint ApplicationPostherpetic NeuralgiaPainQi Deficiency and Blood Stasis
维普
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