| Objective: To investigate the intervention effect of enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) combined with sertraline on depression and serum TNF-α, BDNF, and VEGF in patients with post-ischemic stroke depression (IPSD). Methods: A total of 80 patients with IPSD were randomly divided into the control group and observation group, 40 cases in each group. The control group received routine treatment (including medication for underlying diseases and comprehensive rehabilitation training) and oral sertraline hydrochloride (50 mg/day) for 7 weeks. The observation group received routine treatment, oral sertraline hydrochloride, and ECCP treatment (30 min per session, 2 sessions per day, 5 days per week) for 7 weeks. The Hamilton depression scale (HAMD), National institute of health stroke scale (NIHSS), Modified Barthel index (MBI), and serum TNF-α, BDNF, and VEGF were recorded and evaluated before and after the intervention, respectively. Results: After 7 weeks of treatment, the HAMD score and NIHSS score of both groups significantly decreased compared to before treatment (P<0.01), and the MBI score significantly increased compared to before treatment (P<0.01). The HAMD score and NIHSS score were significantly lower (P<0.01), and the MBI score was significantly higher (P<0.01) in the observation group than in the control group. The serum TNF-a levels in both groups decreased significantly before treatment (P<0.01), and the levels of BDNF and VEGF increased significantly compared to before treatment (P<0.01). The serum TNF-a levels in the observation group were significantly lower (P<0.01), and the levels of BDNF and VEGF were significantly higher (P<0.01) than those in the control group. Conclusion: EECP combined with sertraline can significantly alleviate depression in patients with IPSD, promote neural function recovery, and improve daily living ability, and its mechanism of action may be related to regulating serum BDNF, VEGF, and TNF-a levels in patients with IPSD. |
