Both manual acupuncture and electroacupuncture were effective in improving the apnea/hypopnea index and mean SaO2 in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis aiming to assess the clinical effect of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea; six studies involving 362 subjects were selected in our study.
The findings of our work suggest that manual acupuncture was more effective in the improvement of apnea/hypopnea index, apnea index, hypopnea index, and mean SaO2 when compared with nonspecific treatment; electroacupuncture could further improve apnea/hypopnea index and apnea index; there was no significant difference regarding the improvement of hypopnea index and SaO2. Regarding the comparison of manual acupuncture and nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) therapy, manual acupuncture was more effective in improving apnea/hypopnea index. No adverse events associated with acupuncture therapy were documented.
