Acupuncture for the treatment of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Zhu, J., Guo, Y., Liu, S., Su, X., Li, Y., Yang, Y., Hou, L., Wang, G., Zhang, J., Chen, J. J. D., Wang, Q., Wei, R., & Wei, W. · Acupuncture in Medicine · 2017 October

DOI 10.1136/acupmed-2016-011205

Objective

To explore the effectiveness of acupuncture for the treatment of GORD.

Conclusions

This journal study suggests that acupuncture improve recurrence rates compared with Western Medicine (WM) when used alone. Acupuncture lead to greater overall improvement when used as an adjunct to WM in patients with GORD. They may also have a positive impact on quality of life.

Critical Appraisal

Published research can offer valuable insights, but a paper’s conclusions may go beyond what its results support. Critical appraisal examines the methods, findings and limitations to clarify what can reasonably be concluded—and what remains uncertain.

This article has not yet been critically appraised by the Research Hub.

Learn more about Critical Appraisal

Insights

Patients receiving acupuncture combined with western medicine had a superior global symptom improvement compared with those receiving western medicine alone for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.

A total of 12 trials involving 1235 patients were included. Meta-analyses demonstrated that patients receiving MA/EA combined with WM had a superior global symptom improvement compared with those receiving WM alone with no significant heterogeneity. Recurrence rates of those receiving MA/EA alone were lower than those receiving WM with low heterogeneity, while global symptom improvement (six studies) and symptom scores (three studies) were similar. Descriptive analyses suggested that acupuncture also improves quality of life in patients with GORD.