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Table 3 Rescue medication use during overall study period

From: Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for functional constipation: a randomised, sham-controlled pilot trial

 

No. of participants*

p-valuea

Days using rescue medication

p-valueb

 

N (%)

 

(mean ± SD)

 

Total

 RA (n = 14)

1 (7.1%)

0.1686

0.43 ± 1.60

0.4154

 SA (n = 15)

5 (33.3%)

 

1.07 ± 2.43

 

Subgroup A

 RA (n = 5)

0 (0.0%)

0.1667

0.00 ± 0.00

0.2328

 SA (n = 4)

2 (50.0%)

 

2.50 ± 4.36

 

Subgroup B

 RA (n = 9)

1 (11.1%)

0.5765

0.67 ± 2.00

0.9615

 SA (n = 8)

2 (25.0%)

 

0.63 ± 1.41

 
  1. Subgroup A, participants whose proportion of hard stool (BSS type 1–2) > 25% of total defecation; Subgroup B, participants whose CAS score ≥ 7
  2. RA real acupuncture, SA sham acupuncture
  3. *who used rescue medication during the period
  4. aFisher’s exact test
  5. bindependent two-sample t-test