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Meta-Analysis
. 2024 Feb 16;103(7):e35832.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000035832.

Effect of fire needle combined with traditional Chinese medicine on psoriasis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Jinglun Xu  1 , Qiujun Zhou  2 , Fan Xie  1 , Yi Cao  3 , Xiaohong Yang  3 , Maocan Tao  3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effect of fire needle combined with traditional Chinese medicine on psoriasis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Jinglun Xu et al. Medicine (Baltimore). .

Abstract

Background: The mechanism of action of fire acupuncture and Chinese medicine in psoriasis is unclear. In this paper, the efficacy of the 2 therapies was compared through a comprehensive analysis of their recurrence rates for clinical reference.

Methods: In this meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, CQVIP, and CBM data from the establishment of the databases to May 2023. The study proposed to use randomized controlled trial research methods, excluding published literature, unpublished literature, literature with incomplete or inadequate information, animal experiments, literature reviews and systematic studies. Data were processed using STATA 15.1 software.

Results: Our group previous study found that the clinical efficacy of the fire-acupuncture group was significantly improved compared to that of Chinese herbal medicine alone (RR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.13-1.27). Also, there were significant reductions in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score (SMD = -1.04,95% CI: -1.48 to -0.60), area of skin damage (SMD = -0.40,95% CI: -0.75 to -0.04), and pruritus (SMD = -1.04,95% CI: -1.32 to -0.76). Our previous study found that Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) was significantly lower in the fire acupuncture group compared to herbal medicine alone (SMD = -1.61,95% CI: -3.08 to -0.15). The combined analysis found that the recurrence rate was significantly lower in the fire-acupuncture group compared to herbal medicine alone (RR = 0.21,95% CI:0.07-0.60).

Conclusion: Fire needle can improve the efficacy of TCM in the treatment of psoriasis, including the area, severity and itching of skin lesions, and reduce the recurrence rate, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow diagram of the study selection process.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Risk of bias items.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Risk of bias summary.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Forest plot comparing the total effective rate of fire needle plus traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with TCM alone in the treatment of psoriasis.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Forest plot comparing the mean Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score of the fire needle combined with TCM with the TCM alone group in the treatment of psoriasis. SMD = standardized mean differences; TCM = traditional Chinese medicine.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Forest plot comparing the skin damage area of fire needle combined with TCM with TCM alone in the treatment of psoriasis (after sensitivity analysis). SMD = standardized mean differences; TCM = traditional Chinese medicine.
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
Forest plot comparing the degree of itching of fire needle combined with TCM with TCM alone in the treatment of psoriasis (after sensitivity analysis). SMD = standardized mean differences; TCM = traditional Chinese medicine.
Figure 8.
Figure 8.
Forest plot comparing the Dermatology Life Quality Index score of fire needle combined with TCM with TCM alone in the treatment of psoriasis. SMD = standardized mean differences; TCM = traditional Chinese medicine.
Figure 9.
Figure 9.
Forest plot comparing the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cells of fire needle combined with TCM with TCM alone in the treatment of psoriasis. SMD = standardized mean differences; TCM = traditional Chinese medicine.
Figure 10.
Figure 10.
Forest plot comparing the recurrence rate of fire needle combined with TCM with TCM alone in the treatment of psoriasis. CI = confidence interval, RR = relative risk, TCM = traditional Chinese medicine.
Figure 11.
Figure 11.
Funnel plot used to assess publication bias.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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