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Published on: August 18, 2023
Acupuncture-Based Interventions for Sleep Outcomes in Patients with Postherpetic Neuralgia: A Systematic Review and
Jingqi Zhang1, Jiachen Zhang2, Jie Chen1
1College of Acupuncture and Massage, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, People's Republic of China.
Background:
Acupuncture therapy is currently widely used in the clinical treatment of postherpetic neuralgia, but its effectiveness in improving patients' sleep quality remains inconclusive. This study evaluates the impact of acupuncture-related therapies on sleep quality in patients with postherpetic neuralgia through a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Methods:
We searched eight databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals (VIP), and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), with the search period ranging from each database's inception to October 2025. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool 2.0 (RoB 2). Statistical analysis was performed using Stata SE 15.0. This study's registration number is: CRD420251184715.
Results:
A total of 21 studies involving 1,739 patients were included. Meta-analysis results showed that acupuncture intervention significantly improved sleep quality in patients with postherpetic neuralgia compared with conventional treatment (SMD = -1.21, 95% CI = -1.48 to -0.94, p < 0.0001). Subgroup analysis by acupuncture intervention type revealed that all acupuncture methods outperformed conventional treatment in improving sleep outcomes. Furthermore, analyses of secondary outcome measures-including pain scores (VAS), anxiety scores (SAS, HAMA), depression scores (SDS, HAMD), quality of life score (SF-36, NHP), clinical effectiveness, and adverse events-also indicated that acupuncture therapy demonstrated superior efficacy in broader clinical outcomes among PHN patients.
Conclusion:
Acupuncture-related therapies may improve sleep quality in patients with postherpetic neuralgia. However, high-quality RCTs with more stringent designs and broader coverage of acupuncture techniques should be conducted in the future to verify its efficacy.