Efficacy of electroacupuncture on clinical signs and immunological factors in herpes zoster: The first systematic review, meta-analysis, and trial sequential analysis of randomized clinical trials

Zhou Q, Jing M, Ren H, Li G, Wang Z · Medicine · 2025 March 21

Objective

To investigate the efficacy of electroacupuncture on clinical and immunological factors in herpes zoster through a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Conclusions

The study found that electroacupuncture treatment showed significant benefits compared to Western medicine in herpes zoster patients in terms of clinical and immunological factors, and the combination of electroacupuncture with Western medicine had even better effects than electroacupuncture alone.

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Insights

Electroacupuncture treatment significantly improves clinical and immunological outcomes for herpes zoster patients compared to Western medicine.

A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted, utilizing data from four international databases and three Chinese databases, searched up until January 2024. The software tool RevMan 5.3 was utilized for the meta-analysis, with data presented as standardized mean difference or odds ratio and 95% confidence interval. Out of 1361 records, 19 were ultimately used in the meta-analysis. The analysis results indicated notable benefits for herpes zoster patients receiving electroacupuncture treatments compared to those receiving Western Medicine. Patients receiving electroacupuncture showed improved counts in certain biological markers associated with immune response, as well as quicker times to several key points in disease progression such as cessation of pustules, pain relief, time to scab, and time to remove scabs. Additionally, there was a lower incidence of postherpetic neuralgia and a higher total effective rate in this treatment group. However, the combination of Western medicine with electroacupuncture was found to have better effects than electroacupuncture treatment alone.