Choi Su-Ji, Choi Seoyoon, Kim Dong-Il
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, College of Korean Medicine, Dong-eui University, Busan, Republic of Korea.
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, College of Korean Medicine, Dongguk University, Goyang-si, Republic of Korea.
Int J Womens Health. 2025 May 11;17:1343-1361. doi: 10.2147/IJWH.S512247. eCollection 2025.
Up to 85% of pregnant women experience nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP), which can impact both the pregnant woman and developing fetus. Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM) including acupuncture and herbal medicine has been used to treat NVP; however, its effectiveness remains under debate. This study aimed to systematically review the existing evidence from systematic reviews on the effectiveness of TEAM for NVP and to critically evaluate the quality of these reviews.
Nine databases were searched from their inception until January 2024. Search terms included, "Hyperemesis gravidarum", "Nausea", "Vomiting", "acupuncture" and "herbal medicine". Systematic reviews (SRs) that evaluated the effect of TEAM treatment for NVP were included. We evaluated methodological quality, reporting quality, and risk of bias using the AMSTAR-2, ROBIS tool, and PRISMA guidelines.
In total, 20,121 publications were retrieved from the databases. Twenty-five SRs met the inclusion criteria, indicating that acupuncture and related techniques, and herbal medicines are effective in alleviating NVP. Various methods including traditional acupuncture, acupressure, acupoint injection, electroacupuncture, herbal acupoint patching, and herbal decoctions were used. Herbs like ginger and additional aromatherapies such as lemon and cardamom have also shown beneficial effects. However, there are controversies regarding the consistency of results and the quality of methodologies. Despite low risk of bias across reviews, all were deemed low or critically low in methodological quality, with none fully adhering to PRISMA guidelines.
This comprehensive review underscores the potential of TEAM in managing NVP but highlights significant gaps in research quality and reporting. Future studies of higher methodological quality are essential to validate these findings and guide clinical practice.
高达85%的孕妇会经历妊娠恶心和呕吐（NVP），这会对孕妇和发育中的胎儿产生影响。包括针灸和草药在内的传统东亚医学（TEAM）已被用于治疗NVP；然而，其有效性仍存在争议。本研究旨在系统回顾关于TEAM治疗NVP有效性的系统评价中的现有证据，并严格评估这些评价的质量。
检索了九个数据库，从其创建到2024年1月。检索词包括“妊娠剧吐”、“恶心”、“呕吐”、“针灸”和“草药”。纳入评估TEAM治疗NVP效果的系统评价（SRs）。我们使用AMSTAR-2、ROBIS工具和PRISMA指南评估方法学质量、报告质量和偏倚风险。
总共从数据库中检索到20121篇出版物。25项SRs符合纳入标准，表明针灸及相关技术和草药在缓解NVP方面是有效的。使用了多种方法，包括传统针灸、指压、穴位注射、电针、草药穴位贴敷和草药汤剂。生姜等草药以及柠檬和小豆蔻等其他芳香疗法也显示出有益效果。然而，在结果的一致性和方法学质量方面存在争议。尽管各评价的偏倚风险较低，但所有评价在方法学质量上均被认为较低或极低，没有一项完全遵循PRISMA指南。
这项综合评价强调了TEAM在管理NVP方面的潜力，但突出了研究质量和报告方面的重大差距。未来进行更高方法学质量的研究对于验证这些发现并指导临床实践至关重要。
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