Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture therapy based on "gut-brain axis" on clinical manifestations and gastrointestinal symptoms of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Methods: A total of 66 children with ASD were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 33 cases in each group. The control group was treated by routine rehabilitation training. On the basis of the control group, the observation group was treated with acupuncture based on "gut-brain axis", and the acupoints were Touwei (ST 8), Shenting (GV 24), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Tianshu (ST 25), Zhongwan (CV 12), Zusanli (ST 36), etc. Both treatments were given once every other day, 3 times a week, 4 weeks as a course of treatment, consecutively for 3 courses. The scores of autism behavior checklist (ABC), TCM symptoms of gastrointestinal disease and childhood autism rating scale (CARS) were compared between the two groups before and after treatment, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated.
Results: After treatment, the scores of ABC, CARS and TCM symptoms of gastrointestinal disease in the two groups were lower than before treatment (P<0.05), and those in the observation group were lower than the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate of the observation group was 90.9% (30/33), which was higher than 81.8% (27/33) in the control group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: On the basis of routine rehabilitation training, acupuncture therapy based on "gut-brain axis" is effective in treating ASD, which can relieve the clinical manifestations and gastrointestinal symptoms.
目的：在常规康复训练的基础上，观察基于“肠-脑轴”理论的针刺疗法对孤独症谱系障碍（ASD）患儿临床表现及胃肠症状的影响。方法：将66例ASD患儿随机分为观察组和对照组，各33例。对照组予常规康复训练；观察组在对照组的基础上，采用基于“肠-脑轴”的针刺治疗，穴取头维、神庭、四神聪、天枢、中脘、足三里等。两组均隔日治疗1次，每周3次，4周为一疗程，连续治疗3个疗程。比较两组患儿治疗前后孤独症行为量表（ABC）、胃肠疾病中医症状及儿童孤独症评定量表（CARS）评分，并评定临床疗效。结果：治疗后，两组患儿ABC、CARS、胃肠疾病中医症状评分均较治疗前降低（P<0.05），且观察组低于对照组（P<0.05）。观察组总有效率为90.9%（30/33），高于对照组的81.8%（27/33，P<0.05）。结论：在常规康复训练的基础上，基于“肠-脑轴”的针刺疗法治疗ASD疗效较好，可缓解患儿临床表现和胃肠症状。.
Keywords: acupuncture; autism spectrum disorder; gastrointestinal symptoms; gut-brain axis; randomized controlled trial (RCT).