Efficacy of Medicinal Leech Therapy in Diverse Clinical Applications: A Comprehensive Study from Azerbaijan
Farzali S, Yaraliyeva S, Huseynov F, Manafov A, Saglam N (2025) · Turkiye Parazitolojii Dergisi · n=181
Studienprofil
- Design
- single-center prospective observational cohort study of hirudotherapy across 11 clinical indications (Herba Medical Center, Baku, Azerbaijan; treatment period 2020-2024)
- Stichprobengröße (n)
- 181
- Intervention
- Disposable medicinal leeches (Hirudo medicinalis) from hygienic Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources-approved farms; treatment frequency tailored to disease severity (daily, every 3 days, or weekly)
- Komparator
- No randomized comparator - within-subject pre/post comparison and Pearson correlation between conditions
- Primärer Endpunkt
- Treatment success rate by clinical condition, calculated based on post-treatment examinations, patient feedback, and physician evaluations
- Primäres Ergebnis
- Overall success rate 82.68 ± 29.25%; 100% success in osteoarthritis pain (n=50), lipoma (n=8), Raynaud disease (n=3), scleroderma (n=2); high success in thyroiditis (94.44%, n=18), Baker's cyst (80%, n=25), ear diseases (80%, n=10), diabetic foot ulcers (80%, n=5); moderate in eye diseases (75%, n=20); lowest in varicose veins (33.33%, n=30)
- Follow-up-Dauer
- post-treatment evaluation at session completion
- PMID
- 40923484
Wichtigste Ergebnisse
- Largest single-center Azerbaijani cohort of hirudotherapy across 11 clinical indications (n=181, 2020-2024)
- Highest reported success rates for osteoarthritis pain (100%, n=50) - consistent with the broader European OA RCT evidence base
- Lowest success rate for varicose veins (33%) - contrasts with the optimistic Kalender 2014 Turkish RCT
- Demonstrated operational feasibility of disposable leech protocol with Ministry-approved hygienic sourcing
- Adds the post-Soviet/Caucasian geography to the international leech therapy evidence base
Einschränkungen
- Observational cohort with no randomized comparator - severe confounding-by-indication risk
- Patient-reported and physician-judged 'success' lacks standardized validated outcome measures
- Single private medical center - selection bias toward CAM-favorable patients
- Heterogeneous indications with small per-condition samples (n=2-50)
- No standardized adverse-event reporting protocol described
Klinische Implikationen
Farzali 2025 is the largest published Azerbaijani hirudotherapy cohort and provides useful real-world utilization data spanning 11 clinical indications. For ASH editorial purposes, the study is cited only as cross-cultural utilization evidence rather than as RCT-level efficacy data. The reported 100% success rate for OA pain is consistent with the European RCT body, while the low varicose-vein success (33%) is a clinically meaningful caution for that indication. The Caucasian geography fills a previously underrepresented region in the hirudotherapy literature.
Verwandte Studien
The Effectiveness of Leech Therapy in Chronic Low Back Pain
Hohmann CD, Stange R, Steckhan N, Robens S, Ostermann T, Paetow A, Michalsen A (2018)
Hirudotherapy for limb ischemia in the pediatric intensive care unit: a retrospective observational cohort
Resch JC, Hedstrom R, Steiner ME, Said SM, Somani A (2023)
Study of the effect of leeching on plasma endothelin and soluble interleukin-2 receptor in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Cheng SP, Liu JL, Yuan J (2005)
Medicinal leech therapy in pain syndromes: a narrative review
Koeppen D, Aurich M, Rampp T (2013)