Efficacy and safety of TCM non-pharmacologic therapy for post-stroke insomnia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

Post-stroke insomnia is a common and frequently occurring disease that has a significant impact on the quality of life of patients. TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) non-pharmacologic therapy is increasingly being used for patients with post-stroke insomnia. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the TCM non-pharmacologic therapy for post-stroke insomnia.

METHODS

English and Chinese databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed were retrieved to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the TCM non-pharmacologic therapy with Western medicine in the treatment of post-stroke insomnia. The search was conducted until March 26, 2024. Data analysis was conducted using Stata15.0.

RESULTS

This study included a total of 60 RCTs, involving 5 TCM non-pharmacologic therapies and 4,587 patients. The results of the network meta-analysis unveiled that Western medicine combined with massage (SUCRA93.8), Western medicine combined with auricular point sticking (SUCRA80.5), and needle embedding (SUCRA71.5) were the top three measures in clinical efficacy. For improving the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), massage (SUCRA86.1) was the most effective, followed by Western medicine combined with auricular point sticking (SUCRA85.4), and Western medicine combined with needle embedding (SUCRA66.4). Regarding adverse reactions, the top three interventions were traditional acupuncture (SUCRA87.7), moxibustion (SUCRA63.2), and Western medicine combined with traditional acupuncture (SUCRA46.0).

CONCLUSIONS

TCM non-pharmacologic therapy and Western medicine combined with TCM non-pharmacologic therapy can improve clinical efficacy in post-stroke insomnia, enhance sleep quality, and reduce adverse reactions. Due to the limitations of the included studies, the methodological quality is generally not high, and multicenter, large sample, high-quality RCTs are still needed for validation in the future.