Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics and Effect of Herbal Medicines and Acupuncture for the Treatment of Bell's Palsy
| HM + AT (n = 278) | AT only (n = 83) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline characteristics | |||
| Male, N (%) | 160 (57.6) | 46 (55.4) | 0.731* |
| Age (yr) | 48.44 ± 15.35 | 49.11 ± 15.53 | 0.727† |
| Left facial palsy, N (%) | 131 (47.1) | 31 (37.3) | 0.197* |
| Severity at baseline, N (%) | 0.675* | ||
| Complete paralysis | 191 (68.7) | 55 (66.3) | |
| Partial paralysis | 87 (31.3) | 28 (33.7) | |
| Period from onset to first visit (d) | 4.96 ± 8.01 | 9.46 ± 13.05 | 0.004† |
| Treatment period (day) | 33.23 ± 31.39 | 29.08 ± 32.36 | 0.295† |
| Known risk factor, N (%) | |||
| Hypertension | 56 (20.1) | 20 (24.1) | 0.438* |
| Diabetes mellitus | 33 (11.9) | 18 (21.7) | 0.024* |
| Obesity | 108 (38.8) | 23 (27.7) | 0.278* |
| Recurrence | 22 (7.9) | 14 (16.9) | 0.739* |
| Duration from onset to initial recovery (day) | 12.36 ± 9.43 (n = 219) | 16.43 ± 14.26 (n = 53) | 0.026‡ |
| N of initial recovery within 3 weeks (%) | 204 (93.2) | 44 (83.0) | 0.020§ |
| N of overall improvement (%)|| | 238 (85.6) | 73 (88.0) | 0.770¶ |
All data are presented as mean ± standard deviation unless otherwise stated.
*
Pearson's χ2 test.
†
Student's t-test.
‡
mean deviation: 4.07, 95% confidence interval: 0.90–7.25.
§
χ2 = 5.45, df = 1.
||
Grade 2 or higher on House–Brackmann facial grading scale.
¶
χ2 = 0.524, df = 2.