The effect of acupoint catgut embedding and drug therapy on hyperlipidemia: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

There is no consensus on whether acupoint catgut embedding should be widely used as a treatment for hyperlipidemia. Acupoint catgut embedding is also not included in the guidelines for the treatment of hyperlipidemia. The purpose of this study was of two aspects: 1) to review recent research advances in the relationship between acupoint catgut embedding and hyperlipidemia, 2) to make a meta-analysis of the effects of acupoint catgut embedding on hyperlipidemia. We conducted a meta-analysis of studies extracted from PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase CNKI, Wanfang Data and VIP to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy of acupoint catgut embedding on hyperlipidemia evaluated through screening, inclusion, data extraction and quality assessment. We performed a meta-analysis using Review Manager 5.3 software. A total of 9 RCTs, involving more than 500 adults over 18 years old, were included. Compared with acupoint catgut embedding, drugs resulted in TC [MD = -0.08, 95% CI (-0.20, 0.05),  = 0.41, I = 2%], in TG [MD =-0.04, 95% CI (-0.20, 0.11),  = 0.09, I = 43%], in HDL-C [MD = 0.02, 95% CI (-0.12, 0.16),  = 0.07, I = 50%], in LDL-C [MD = 0.16, 95% CI (0.02, 0.29),  = 0.17, I = 34%]. Based on the current evidence, acupoint catgut embedding is not significantly more effective than drugs in reducing hyperlipidemia. More randomized trials are needed to confirm this conclusion.