We investigate the possible effects of acupuncture on the improvement of neurological problems in HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP)disease. Twenty patients with HAM/TSP were studied in this pre and post-test clinical trial. Urinary incontinence, global motor disability, spasticity, and pain severity were evaluated before, one month, and three-month after the intervention. Analyses demonstrated a significant reduction of urinary symptoms one month after acupuncture (P = 0.023). A significant improvement was observed in patients' pain and the spasticity at the upper extremity joints, one and three-month after the intervention (P < 0.05). This study suggests that body acupuncture can be used as a complementary treatment to improve HAM/TSP neurological symptoms.

中文翻译：

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针灸治疗HTLV-I相关的脊髓病/热带痉挛性轻瘫。

我们调查针灸对HTLV-I相关性脊髓病/热带痉挛性轻瘫（HAM / TSP）疾病的神经系统疾病改善的可能影响。在该测试前和测试后的临床试验中对20名HAM / TSP患者进行了研究。在干预前，干预后一个月和三个月评估尿失禁，全身运动障碍，痉挛和疼痛严重程度。分析表明，针灸治疗一个月后尿毒症症状明显减轻（P = 0.023）。干预后一个月和三个月，患者的疼痛和上肢关节的痉挛明显改善（P <0.05）。这项研究表明，针灸可以作为改善HAM / TSP神经症状的补充疗法。