Acupuncture vs Sham Non-Acupoint Acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Integrative Medicine
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a prevalent global gastrointestinal disorder with limited effective treatments.
• Acupuncture is being explored for IBS management, but existing evidence is inconsistent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture compared to sham non-acupoint controls for treating IBS.
• To systematically review and meta-analyze randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on acupuncture for IBS.

Main Methods:

• Searched international and Chinese databases for eligible RCTs.
• Extracted data on response rate, symptom severity, and quality of life (QOL).
• Pooled data using risk ratios (RR) and standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Main Results:

• Acupuncture showed a significantly higher response rate than sham control (RR: 1.61 [1.25, 2.07]).
• Acupuncture significantly improved total symptom severity at the end of treatment (SMD: 0.79 [0.30, 1.28]) and follow-up (SMD: 0.70 [0.22, 1.18]).
• Quality of life was also significantly improved at the end of treatment (SMD: 0.36 [0.01, 0.71]).

Conclusions:

• Acupuncture demonstrates significant benefits for IBS patients' response rate and symptom severity compared to sham non-acupoint acupuncture.
• High heterogeneity and low certainty of evidence necessitate large-scale, high-quality trials for confirmation.