RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore a treatment program for increasing therapeutic effect on rheumatoid arthritis at active stage.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and forty-six cases were randomly divided into treatment group (n = 74) and medicine control group (n = 72). The treatment group were treated by electroacupuncture at Quchi (LI 11), Hegu (LI 4), Yanglingquan (GB 34), etc. , combined with meloxicam, sulfasalazine and MTX. The control group treated by simple the Western medicines. Their therapeutic effects were compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The effective rate was 79.73% in the treatment group and 51.39% in the control group with a significant difference between the two groups (P< 0. 05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Electroacupuncture combined with medicine has a better therapeutic effect than the simple medicine on rheumatoid arthritis at active stage.</p>