ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the effect of combined use of acupuncture and medicine on T cell subgroups in ulcerative colitis patients. Methods Sixty-four patients with ulcerative colitis were randomly allocated to treatment and control groups, 32 cases each. The treatment group received acupuncture plus medication and the control group, medication alone. After two months of treatment, changes in T cell subgroups were observed in the two groups and the clinical therapeutic effects were compared between the two groups. Results The total efficacy rate was 87.5% in the treatment group and 75.5% in the control group; there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). There were statistically significant pre-/post-treatment differences in CD3, CD4 and CD4/CD8 in the treatment group (P<0.05). There were statistically significant post-treatment differences in T cell subgroup indices (CD3, CD4 and CD4/CD8) between the treatment and control groups (P<0.05). Conclusions Combined use of acupuncture and medicine is an effective way to treat ulcerative colitis. It can regulate the numbers of CD3 and CD4 and improve bodily immunologic function in the patients.