Page 65 - JCTR-10-2

Journal of Clinical and Translational Research 2024; 10(2): 159-164

Journal of Clinical and Translational Research

Journal homepage: http://www.jctres.com/en/home

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Analysis of the effects of pulsed microcurrent on pain, depression, and

anxiety in patients with herpes zoster

Li Wang *, Jingxuan Liu , Jing Wang , Yurong Zhang , Junwu Zhang 3
1
2
1
1
1 Department of Scientific Research, Faculty of General Family Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi,
China, Department of Health Statistics, Faculty of Public Health, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi’an, Shannxi, China, Xi’an Aikaier
3
2
Medical Technology Co., Ltd, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China.
ARTICLE INFO Abstract
Article history: Background: Herpes zoster is a common viral skin infection and has a high incidence rate in China.
Received: October 23, 2023 At present, conventional drugs combined with adjuvant measures are used for treatment. To improve
Accepted: March 3, 2024 the efficiency and shorten the time of treatment, we propose the use of pulsed microcurrent as a new
Published Online: April 3, 2024 adjuvant therapy.
Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effects of pulsed microcurrent on pain, depression, and
Keywords: anxiety in patients with herpes zoster.
Pulsed microcurrent Methods: A total of 58 patients with herpes zoster who were admitted to our hospital between April
Herpes zoster and August 2022 were selected as study participants and divided into two groups. The control group
Pain (n = 29) received conventional drug therapy, while the experimental group (n = 29) received pulsed
Depression and anxiety microcurrent electrical therapy in combination with conventional drug therapy.
Impact analysis Results: After 14 days of treatment, the scores from the visual analog scale, patient health
questionnaire (PHQ) (i.e., PHQ-9), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) assessment (i.e., GAD-7)
*Corresponding author: of the experimental group were reportedly significantly lower than those the control group (P < 0.05).
Li Wang Conclusion: These findings suggested that pulsed microcurrent electrical therapy combined with
Department of Scientific Research, Faculty of conventional drug therapy could effectively alleviate the pain, depression, and anxiety symptoms in
General Family Medicine, the First Affiliated patients with herpes zoster, highlighting its potential to be widely used in clinical practice.
Hospital of Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, Relevance for Patients: Patients suffering from herpes zoster may opt for pulsed microcurrent
Shaanxi, China electrical therapy to effectively alleviate the pain, depression, and anxiety symptoms.
Email: wangli7828@xiyi.edu.cn

© 2024 Author(s). This is an Open-Access
article distributed under the terms of the 1. Introduction
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial
License, permitting all non-commercial use, Herpes zoster is a viral skin infection that manifests in immunocompromised individuals
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, and is caused by the varicella-zoster virus in the trigeminal ganglion. The condition is
provided the original work is properly cited. characterized by severe pain and herpetic lesions, significantly impacting an individual’s
quality of life and often triggering depression and anxiety [1]. The current guidelines for
diagnosis and treatment [2] recommend conventional therapeutic approaches for herpes zoster,
inclusive of antiviral agents combined with neurotrophic support, anti-inflammatory drugs,
analgesics, and potential adjunctive physiotherapy in China [3]. While pulsed radiofrequency
technology has been extensively studied for postherpetic neuralgia, the approach is
challenged by the long duration of treatment, specific puncture positioning techniques,
and cumbersome standardization of radiofrequency parameters [4-8]. Consequently,
therapeutic outcomes of pulsed radiofrequency technology remain suboptimal. A pulsed
microcurrent electrical neuromuscular stimulator (Figure 1) is a portable and wearable
device that is commercially available and can function as an adjunctive treatment option.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36922/jctr.23.00121