Acupuncture for Chronic Severe Functional Constipation: A Randomized Trial

Abstract Acupuncture has been used for chronic constipation, but evidence for its effectiveness remains scarce. To determine the efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) for chronic severe functional constipation (CSFC). Randomized, parallel, sham-controlled trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01726504). 15 hospitals in China. Patients with CSFC and no serious underlying pathologic cause for constipation. 28 sessions of EA at traditional acupoints or sham EA (SA) at nonacupoints over 8 weeks. The primary outcome was the change from baseline in mean weekly complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBMs) during weeks 1 to 8. Participants were followed until week 20. 1075 patients (536 and 539 in the EA and SA groups, respectively) were enrolled. The increase from baseline in mean weekly CSBMs during weeks 1 to 8 was 1.76 (95% CI, 1.61 to 1.89) in the EA group and 0.87 (CI, 0.73 to 0.97) in the SA group (between-group difference, 0.90 [CI, 0.74 to 1.10]; P