Journal of Pharmacopuncture (대한약침학회지)

KOREAN PHARMACOPUNCTURE INSTITUTE (대한약침학회)
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The Effects of Acupuncture on Crohn's Disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

  • Joon Hyun Bae (College of Korean Medicine, Woosuk University) ;
  • Seo Young Kang (College of Korean Medicine, Woosuk University) ;
  • Si Eun You (College of Korean Medicine, Woosuk University) ;
  • Hye In Jeong (Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University) ;
  • Soobin Jang (Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Daegu Haany University) ;
  • Kyeong Han Kim (Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Woosuk University)
  • Received : 2023.02.21
  • Accepted : 2023.05.03
  • Published : 2023.09.30
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Abstract

Objectives: Crohn's disease is a chronic gastrointestinal disease that belongs to inflammatory bowel disease. This systematic review aims to assess the level of evidence in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of acupuncture for Crohn's disease. Methods: We searched 12 databases from the date of the establishment of each database up to May, 2023 for relevant RCTs. The risk of bias of each study was assessed independently by three reviewers. The level of evidence of meta-analysis was assessed using GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation). Results: A total of 12 studies were included. The effective rate (odds ratio [OR] 3.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.43, 7.30) for mild to moderate Crohn's disease patients showed a significant difference between the acupuncture with moxibustion group and the sham-acupuncture with sham-moxibustion group. CDAI change (mean difference [MD] -74.15, 95% CI -93.28, -55.01) for mild to moderate Crohn's disease showed a significant difference between the acupuncture with moxibustion group and the sham-acupuncture with sham-moxibustion group. Conclusion: Although acupuncture with moxibustion showed significant effects compared to sham-acupuncture with sham-moxibustion, the effect of acupuncture alone is inconclusive. Moreover, only the effect of acupuncture treatment on mild to moderate Crohn's disease patients was derived as a remarkable result. To confirm the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for Crohn's disease, studies using only acupuncture for intervention or more RCTs targeting various Crohn's disease patients according to the CDAI are required.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by Woosuk university.

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