Meta-Analysis
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World J Gastroenterol. Feb 21, 2014; 20(7): 1871-1877
Published online Feb 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i7.1871
Effectiveness of acupuncture to treat irritable bowel syndrome: A meta-analysis
Guan-Qun Chao, Shuo Zhang
Guan-Qun Chao, Department of Family Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310006, Zhejiang Province, China
Shuo Zhang, Department of Gastroenterology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310006, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Zhang S designed the research and revised the manuscript; Chao GQ and Zhang S performed the research and analyzed the data; Chao GQ wrote the manuscript. Chao GQ and Zhang S contributed equally to this work as co-first authors.
Supported by the Youth Fund of National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81202828; and the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, China, No. LY12H03013; and Academic Climbing Project of the Youth Discipline Leader of Universities in Zhejiang Province (pd2013209)
Correspondence to: Shuo Zhang, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, No. 54, Youdian Road, Hangzhou 310006, Zhejiang Province, China. zhangshuo@medmail.com.cn
Telephone: +86-571-87608001 Fax: +86-571-87608001
Received: September 26, 2013
Revised: November 25, 2013
Accepted: December 12, 2013
Published online: February 21, 2014
Abstract

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) through meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

METHODS: We searched MEDLIINE, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from 1966 to February 2013 for double-blind, placebo-controlled trials investigating the efficacy of acupuncture in the management of IBS. Studies were screened for inclusion based on randomization, controls, and measurable outcomes reported. We used the modified Jadad score for assessing the quality of the articles. STATA 11.0 and Revman 5.0 were used for meta-analysis. Publication bias was assessed by Begg’s and Egger’s tests.

RESULTS: Six randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials met the criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The modified Jadad score of the articles was > 3, and five articles were of high quality. We analyzed the heterogeneity and found that these studies did not cause heterogeneity in our meta-analysis. Begg’s test showed P = 0.707 and Egger’s test showed P = 0.334. There was no publication bias in our meta-analysis (Begg’s test, P = 0.707; Egger’s test, P = 0.334). From the forest plot, the diamond was on the right side of the vertical line and did not intersect with the line. The pooled relative risk for clinical improvement with acupuncture was 1.75 (95%CI: 1.24-2.46, P = 0.001). Using the two different systems of STATA 11.0 and Revman 5.0, we confirmed the significant efficacy of acupuncture for treating IBS.

CONCLUSION: Acupuncture exhibits clinically and statistically significant control of IBS symptoms.

Keywords: Irritable bowel syndrome, Functional gastrointestinal disorder, Acupuncture, Meta-analysis

Core tip: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is not life-threatening, but leads to significant impairment of health-related quality of life. There is still no universally accepted satisfactory treatment for IBS. Nowadays, acupuncture is increasingly popular in patients with various diseases. Several studies showed an improvement in quality of life in IBS patients after acupuncture, but other studies showed no improvement. We performed a meta-analysis to establish the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture for IBS.