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. 2024 Jul 26:19:1721-1739.
doi: 10.2147/COPD.S464546. eCollection 2024.

Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture in Managing COPD: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

Qian Zeng  1 , Lu Liu  1 , Ying Chen  1 , Daohong Chen  1 , Ziyang Zhou  1 , Wenjiao Hu  1 , Siyao Gong  1 , Bin He  1 , Wenchuan Qi  1   2 , Chao Wang  1   3 , Zuoqin Yang  4 , Shuguang Yu  1   2 , Ling Zhao  1   2
Affiliations

Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture in Managing COPD: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

Qian Zeng et al. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Acupuncture has been used as an adjuvant therapy for Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) have reported inconsistent results and unknown quality. This overview aimed to summarize the current SRs/MAs to provide evidence for the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of COPD.

Methods: SRs/MAs were searched via eight databases from their establishment to December 31, 2023. The methodological quality was assessed by A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2). The risk of bias was assessed using the Risk of Bias in Systematic Review (ROBIS) tool. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses for Acupuncture (PRISMA-A) to evaluate the reporting quality. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to determine the strength of evidence. In addition, we also conducted an analysis of the acupuncture points used in the primary RCTs.

Results: Twenty-two SRs/MAs were included in this overview. Based on the assessment using AMSTAR 2, nineteen SRs/MAs were "critically low". Eight SRs/MAs had a low risk of bias. Based on PRISMA-A, the reporting completeness of eighteen SRs/MAs were more than 70%. As for GRADE assessment, only three outcome measures were of high quality. COPD patients can benefit from moxibustion, acupoint application, acupoint catgut embedding, manual acupuncture, and electroacupuncture, as indicated by effectiveness in measures including lung function, 6MWD, mMRC, CAT, and acute exacerbation. In addition, the efficacy of TENS needed to be further demonstrated. The commonly used acupuncture points in the RCTs include BL13, BL23, and EX-B1.

Conclusion: Evidence from SRs showed that acupuncture is beneficial to lung function, acute exacerbation, 6MWD, mMRC and CAT. For SGRQ and brog scale, acupuncture should be used selectively, but this finding should still be taken with caution.

Keywords: COPD; acupuncture; overview; systematic reviews.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of study selection. The inclusion and exclusion of systematic reviews studying acupuncture for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Graphical presentation of PRISMA-A.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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