The acupuncture on hot flashes among menopausal women (ACUFLASH) study : observational follow up results at six and 12 months

Abstract

Objective: The previously published ACUFLASH study compared the effectiveness of individualized acupuncture treatment plus self-care versus self-care alone on hot flashes and health-related quality of life in postmenopausal women. This paper reports on the observational follow-up results at six and 12 months. <br>Methods: The ACUFLASH study was a pragmatic, multicenter, randomized, controlled trial with two parallel arms, conducted in 2006-2007. The 267 participants were postmenopausal women experiencing, on average, 12.6 hot flashes per 24 hours. The acupuncture group received 10 individualized acupuncture treatments during 12 weeks and advice on self-care, and the control group received advice on self-care only. Hot flash frequency and intensity (0-10 scale) and hours of sleep per night were registered in a diary. Health-related quality of life was assessed by the Women‟s Health Questionnaire. <br>Results: From baseline to six months, the mean reduction in hot flash frequency per 24 hours was 5.3 in the acupuncture group and 5.0 in the control group, a non-significant difference of 0.3. At 12 months, the mean reduction in frequency was 6.0 in the acupuncture group and 5.8 in the control group, a non-significant difference of 0.2. Differences in quality of life scores were not statistically significant at six and 12 months. <br>Conclusion: The statistically significant differences between the study groups found at Week 12 were no longer present at six and 12 months. Acupuncture can contribute to a more rapid reduction of vasomotor symptoms and increase in health-related quality of life in postmenopausal women, but probably has no long-term effects.