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Efficacy of acupuncture in children with asthma: a systematic review
1Graduate Institute of Integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine with Western Nursing, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, No. 365 Ming-De Road, Beitou, Taipei, 11211, Taiwan. chifengliul@gmail.com.
Insights
Acupuncture may benefit children with asthma, particularly for peak expiratory flow (PEF) variability. More large-scale trials are needed to confirm its effectiveness on other asthma symptoms and lung function.
Area of Science:
- Integrative Medicine
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Background:
- Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease in children.
- Acupuncture is a traditional therapy explored for managing pediatric asthma.
- Evidence on acupuncture's efficacy for childhood asthma requires systematic evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the efficacy of various acupuncture types in treating asthma among children.
- To synthesize findings from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on acupuncture for pediatric asthma.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases up to October 20, 2014.
- Inclusion of RCTs involving children and adolescents (<18 years) diagnosed with asthma.
- Data extraction and assessment of the methodologic quality of included studies.
Main Results:
- Seven RCTs with 410 participants were included.
- Acupuncture (traditional and laser) showed potential benefits in peak expiratory flow (PEF) variability and asthma-specific anxiety.
- Some studies indicated improvements in lung function (FEV1, PEF) and reduced medication use, but results were variable and methodologic quality varied.
Conclusions:
- Acupuncture may offer benefits for PEF or PEF variability in pediatric asthma patients.
- The efficacy of acupuncture for other asthma outcome measures remains uncertain.
- Further large-scale RCTs are necessary to definitively establish acupuncture's effectiveness in treating childhood asthma.
Background:
We performed a systematic review of the efficacy of various types of acupuncture in the treatment of asthma in children.
Methods:
We searched the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases up to October 20, 2014. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of children and adolescents (<18 years of age) with asthma were included. Data extraction was applied, and methodologic quality was assessed.
Results:
A total of 32 articles were assessed for eligibility, and seven studies comprising 410 patients were included in the systematic review. Two RCTs showed significant improvement in peak expiratory flow (PEF) variability for acupuncture (traditional and laser) vs. control, with one showing significant improvement in asthma-specific anxiety level, but no significant differences in other lung function parameters or quality of life. Another RCT reported significant benefits of laser acupuncture on lung function parameters but did not describe or report statistical analyses. One crossover RCT showed significant improvements in response to both acupuncture and placebo acupuncture, with better improvements with acupuncture compared to placebo acupuncture (forced exhaled volume in 1 s [FEV1], PEF). Two additional crossover RCTs showed no significant differences between single sessions of laser acupuncture and placebo acupuncture on baseline, postacupuncture, and postinduced bronchoconstriction values (% predicted FEV1, maximum expiratory flow). A recent study showed a significant effect of acupuncture paired with acupressure on medication use and symptoms in preschool-age children. Methodologic and reporting variability remains an issue. However, the results suggest that acupuncture may have a beneficial effect on PEF or PEF variability in children with asthma.
Conclusions:
The efficacy of acupuncture on other outcome measures is unclear. Large-scale RCTs are needed to further assess the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of asthma in children.
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