Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2004; 9: 17
The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment with vs. without acupuncture in patients with chronic headache in routine care. This study is part of a large acupuncture research initiative of health insurance companies in Germany (Modellvorhaben der Techniker Krankenkasse).
Patients (≥ 18 years) with chronic headache (migraine or tension-type headache) were randomly allocated to receive up to 15 acupuncture sessions over 3 months (ACU) or to a control group (CON) receiving no acupuncture. Patients who did not agree to randomisation were monitored in a third group also receiving acupuncture (NR-ACU). All patients were allowed to receive usual medical care additionally to study treatment. All patients completed standardised questionnaires including socio-demographic data, information on the frequency and type of headache, and health-related quality of life (SF-36) at baseline, 3 and 6 months.
Of the 15 056 patients (77.2% female, 44.1 ± 12.8 years) included, 3182 consented to randomisation. After 3 months of treatment the frequency of headache days decreased more in the ACU compared to the CON (ACU 8.4 ± 7.2 to 4.7 ± 5.6; CON 8.1 ± 6.7 to 7.5 ± 6.3, P < 0.001). Similarly, quality of life after treatment differed significantly between the treatment groups (P < 0.001) in favour of ACU. The extent of improvement was similar between persons with migraine and those with tension-type headache.
Acupuncture in addition to routine care in patients with chronic headache showed a significant and clinically relevant improvement in the frequency of headache days and quality of life compared to treatment without acupuncture.
