ADJUNCTIVE EFFICACY OF ELECTROACUPUNCTURE COMBINED WITH AURICULAR ACUPUNCTURE ON THE GERDQ SCORE IN PATIENTS WITH GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE AT THONG NHAT HOSPITAL

Nguyễn Thị Quế Chi 1 , Đoàn Văn Minh 2 , Hoàng Thị Hồng Nhung 1 , Trần Thanh Tuyến 1 , Vũ Thị Ly Na 1, 3 ,
1 Thong Nhat Hospital image/svg+xml
2 Huế University of Medicine and Pharmacy image/svg+xml
3 University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City image/svg+xml
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DOI
10.63947/bvtn.v2i9.10
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Published
2026-10-01
Issue Vol. 2 No. 9 (2026): A Major Step Forward in Specialized Care: A Milestone Marked by the First Liver Transplant at Thong Nhat Hospital
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Original Research

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Nguyễn TQC, Đoàn VM, Hoàng THN, Trần TT, Vũ TLN. ADJUNCTIVE EFFICACY OF ELECTROACUPUNCTURE COMBINED WITH AURICULAR ACUPUNCTURE ON THE GERDQ SCORE IN PATIENTS WITH GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE AT THONG NHAT HOSPITAL. JHA [Internet]. Vietnam; 2026 Oct. 1 [cited 2026 Oct. 16];2(9):76–82. https://tcsuckhoelaohoa.vn/bvtn/article/view/244 doi: 10.63947/bvtn.v2i9.10
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Abstract

Electroacupuncture combined with auricular acupuncture is considered a potential adjunctive therapy alongside proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). A controlled clinical intervention study was conducted in GERD patients with a GerdQ score ≥ 8, who were randomly allocated to an intervention group (electroacupuncture combined with auricular acupuncture plus Esomeprazole 40 mg/day) and a control group (Esomeprazole alone), with follow-up assessments at baseline (day 0), day 7, and day 14, to investigate baseline clinical characteristics and treatment efficacy using the GerdQ scale and the 4GerdQ score (the four positive-predictive questions within the GerdQ questionnaire). Sixty-one patients completed the study (30 in the control group, 31 in the intervention group), with comparable baseline characteristics between the two groups (p>0.05). At baseline, the median GerdQ score was 10.0 in both groups (p=0.447); the 4GerdQ score was 8.0 in both groups (p=0.175). After 14 days, the GerdQ score decreased significantly within each group (p<0.001), and the between-group difference at day 14 was also statistically significant (6.0 versus 7.0; p=0.011). Likewise, the 4GerdQ score in the intervention group was significantly lower than in the control group (4.0 versus 5.0; p=0.008), and the reduction from baseline was also significantly greater (p=0.040). Combined electroacupuncture and auricular acupuncture significantly improved both the overall GerdQ score and the 4GerdQ score compared with PPI monotherapy after 14 days of treatment.

Keywords

gastroesophageal reflux disease electroacupuncture auricular acupuncture GerdQ 4GerdQ

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