ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the efficacy of venlafaxine combined with transcranial direct current stimulation in the treatment of postpartum depression and its effects on neurological function.Methods:A total of 135 patients with postpartum depression who were admitted to Wenzhou Seventh People's Hospital from November 2019 to October 2021 were included in this study. They were randomly divided into observation ( n = 70) and control ( n = 65) groups. The control group was treated with venlafaxine alone, and the observation group was treated with an IS200 intelligent electrical stimulator based on the treatment used in the control group. The two groups were treated for 4 weeks. Clinical efficacy and neurological function were compared between the two groups. Results:Total response rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (98.57% vs. 89.23%, χ2 = 7.61, P < 0.05). After treatment, the scores of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and Hamilton Depression Scale in the observation group were (8.03 ± 0.79) points and (9.03 ± 3.98) points, respectively, which were significantly lower than (11.74 ± 0.98) points and (14.68 ± 3.79) points in the control group ( t = 3.28, 4.65, both P < 0.05). Standard deviation of heart rate variability, root mean square of successive differences between adjacent NN intervals, ratio of low frequency to high frequency, activity of the autonomic nervous system in the observation group were (32.38 ± 0.93) ms, (27.86 ± 0.78) ms, 1.79 ± 0.19, (86.65 ± 1.21) points, respectively, which were significantly higher than (27.84 ± 0.88) ms, (25.79 ± 0.81) ms, 1.38 ± 0.14, (82.94 ± 1.19) points in the control group ( t = 4.09, 3.72, 2.98, 4.09, all P < 0.05). Conclusion:Venlafaxine combined with transcranial direct current stimulation for treatment of postpartum depression can enhance clinical efficacy and remarkably improve patient's neurological function.