Clinical evidence on acupuncture for symptom improvement in multiple sclerosis. - GreenMedInfo Summary

BACKGROUND: Clinical trials on acupuncture for multiple sclerosis (MS) have been growing, but the findings are ongoing controversy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the existing randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for evidence of the efficacy of acupuncture on MS.

METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, Web of Science, four Chinese-language databases, clinical research registration, gray literature, and reference lists of the selected studies. We evaluated the risk of bias in the included studies with RoB 2, and performed meta-analysis, subgroup analysis, meta-regression, and publication bias detection using STATA version 15.1. Moreover, we assessed the certainty of evidence using the GRADE approach. The protocol for this review was registered with PROSPERO (Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) (CRD42024530800).

RESULTS: A total of 11 RCTs (with 574 patients) were included in the study. The meta-analysis results showed that acupuncture, when combined with medicine, is more effective at improving disability status and enhancing the quality of life than medicine alone Acupuncture-related adverse events were rare and mild. The evidence grade was generally low because of the substantial heterogeneity among studies.

CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture therapies are potential treatment options for MS, and are relatively safe. However, owing to the limitations of this study, these conclusions should be interpreted with caution.