Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Daqing Oilfield General Hospital, Daqing, China.
Department of Rehabilitation, Daqing City People's Hospital, Daqing, China; .
Ann Palliat Med. 2021 Oct;10(10):10495-10505. doi: 10.21037/apm-21-2309.
Acupuncture is an important component of traditional Chinese medicine which is used to treat an array of health conditions. This study evaluates the effectiveness of acupuncture in the management of restless leg syndrome (RLS).
A comprehensive literature survey was conducted in electronic databases to identify studies evaluating the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of RLS. Cure, marked effect, effective, ineffective, and total effective rates of individual studies were pooled to achieve their respective overall estimates and a meta-analysis of mean change from baseline in International Restless Legs Syndrome Rating Scale (IRLSRS) was performed.
A total of 18 studies were included in this meta-analysis, among which 640 RLS patients were treated with acupuncture alone or combined with other therapies (acupuncture group) and 447 RLS patients were treated with non-acupuncture therapies (control group). Cure, marked effect, and effective rates were 47.8% [95% confidence interval (CI): 38.3% to 57.3%], 27.4% (95% CI: 20.3% to 34.8%), and 24.2% (95% CI: 16.9% to 31.5%) in patients treated with acupuncture either alone or combination with other treatments, and 21.7% (95% CI: 20.7% to 22.7%), 28.0% (95% CI: 20.0% to 32.9%), and 22.3% (95% CI: 17.0% to 27.6%) in patients treated with non-acupuncture therapies, respectively. The ineffective rate was 4.7% (95% CI: 4.3% to 5.0%) in the acupuncture group and 32.9% (95% CI: 22.2% to 43.7%) in non-acupuncture groups. IRLSRS scores improved significantly after acupuncture treatment [mean change from baseline -9.45 (95% CI: -18.42 to -0.49); P=0.04].
Although the overall quality of the included studies was low, the results of this meta-analysis suggested that acupuncture is an effective treatment option for RLS. Well-designed randomized controlled trials especially those involving a sham-acupuncture arm are needed to confirm these outcomes.
针灸是中医的重要组成部分，用于治疗各种健康状况。本研究评估了针灸在治疗不安腿综合征（RLS）中的有效性。
在电子数据库中进行了全面的文献调查，以确定评估针灸治疗 RLS 有效性的研究。对个别研究的治愈率、显效率、有效率、无效率和总有效率进行了汇总，以获得各自的总体估计，并对国际不安腿综合征评定量表（IRLSRS）的基线平均变化进行了荟萃分析。
这项荟萃分析共纳入了 18 项研究，其中 640 例 RLS 患者接受了单纯针灸治疗或与其他疗法联合治疗（针灸组），447 例 RLS 患者接受了非针灸治疗（对照组）。针灸组的治愈率、显效率和有效率分别为 47.8%（95%置信区间：38.3%至 57.3%）、27.4%（95%置信区间：20.3%至 34.8%）和 24.2%（95%置信区间：16.9%至 31.5%），而非针灸组的治愈率、显效率和有效率分别为 21.7%（95%置信区间：20.7%至 22.7%）、28.0%（95%置信区间：20.0%至 32.9%）和 22.3%（95%置信区间：17.0%至 27.6%）。针灸组的无效率为 4.7%（95%置信区间：4.3%至 5.0%），而非针灸组的无效率为 32.9%（95%置信区间：22.2%至 43.7%）。IRLSRS 评分在针灸治疗后显著改善[平均变化-9.45（95%置信区间：-18.42 至-0.49）；P=0.04]。
尽管纳入研究的总体质量较低，但这项荟萃分析的结果表明，针灸是 RLS 的一种有效治疗选择。需要设计良好的随机对照试验，特别是涉及假针灸手臂的试验，以证实这些结果。
