Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture therapy for bronchial asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of various acupuncture therapies for bronchial asthma.

A comprehensive literature search was conducted in multiple databases to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses investigating acupuncture therapies for asthma. The therapies included traditional acupuncture, electroacupuncture, warm needling, moxibustion, cupping, auricular acupuncture, scalp acupuncture, acupoint embedding, and acupoint injection. The primary outcome was total efficacy rate, with secondary outcomes including symptom relief rate, pulmonary function tests (FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, PEF), and other relevant measures. The methodological quality of evidence was evaluated using the AMSTAR 2 tool.

Fourteen systematic reviews encompassing 167 primary studies with a total of 15,088 participants were included. The meta-analysis revealed that acupuncture therapies significantly improved the total efficacy rate compared to control interventions (Risk Ratio = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.03-1.20, p = 0.006), with remarkably low heterogeneity among studies (I²=0.0%). Acupuncture also showed benefits in symptom relief and some pulmonary function parameters. Regarding safety, only three of the 14 included reviews reported safety outcomes, in addition to an overall low to moderate quality of evidence as assessed by AMSTAR 2, and safety reporting was notably insufficient.

This systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that acupuncture therapies may be effective in improving symptoms and some functional outcomes in patients with bronchial asthma. However, due to the limitations in study quality, heterogeneity, and inadequate safety reporting, further high-quality research is needed to confirm these findings and establish optimal acupuncture protocols for asthma management.