Acupuncture for the treatment of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

A growing number of studies have investigated the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDPN), but the findings of these studies have generated conflicting results. This study therefore aimed to assess the efficacy of acupuncture for treating PDPN so as to offer more conclusive results.

Seven databases were systematically searched for studies published up until December 1, 2023. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for PDPN with visual analog scale (VAS) for pain score were included. Study selection, data extraction, and evaluation were conducted independently by researchers. The Risk of Bias 2 (RoB2) tool was employed to assess the risk of bias. From this sample, the mean difference (MD), 95 % confidence intervals (CI), publication bias, and heterogeneity were then computed.

The manual acupuncture group exhibited a significant decrease in the VAS for pain score compared with the routine care group (p < 0.0001; MD = -1.45 [95 % CI, -1.97 to -0.93], I² = 84 %). The real acupuncture group demonstrated a greater reduction in VAS scores than the sham acupuncture group (p = 0.004; MD = -0.97 [95 % CI, -1.63 to -0.31], I² = 65 %). Additionally, the acupuncture group showed improvements in sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV, p < 0.0001; MD = 2.29 [95 % CI, 1.79 to 2.78], I² = 14 %) as well as motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV, p < 0.0001; MD = 2.87 [95 % CI, 2.46 to 3.27], I² = 0). Different durations of acupuncture treatment, including 6-10 weeks and 3-4 weeks, demonstrated a significant reduction in VAS scores compared with the routine care group.

This meta-analysis provides preliminary evidence for the claim that acupuncture has the potential to alleviate PDPN symptoms and improve SNCV and MNCV. However, high-quality RCTs are needed to offer further evidence and thus better substantiate such a contention.