Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31209824›Full record

SynthesisCurrent medical science2019

Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Alzheimer's Disease: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Qi Huang, Dan Luo, Li Chen, Feng-Xia Liang, Rui Chen

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Current medical science, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
27citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

27 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Qi HuangDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430061, China.
Dan LuoDepartment of Integrated TCM and Western Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
Li ChenDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430061, China.
Feng-Xia LiangDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430061, China. fxliang5@hotmail.com.
Rui ChenDepartment of Integrated TCM and Western Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China. unioncr@163.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Acupuncture has reportedly improved memory and cognitive impairment in both animal and clinical studies. It may be an effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The purpose of this meta-analysis was to review the effectiveness of acupuncture for the treatment of AD. Eight databases were searched for articles published up to and including July 2017, and 13 studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria were identified. The main outcomes assessed were clinical efficacy rate, Mini-Mental State Examination score, Ability of Daily Living Scale score, Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognition score, Hasegawa's Dementia Scale (HDS) score, and adverse events. The methodological quality of the articles was assessed using Cochrane's risk of bias. All the studies compared the efficacy of acupuncture with that of medication, and were published in Chinese journals. Meta-analysis revealed that acupuncture yielded positive results as determined via all the indexes scored except the HDS (95% CI -0.26 to 0.90, Z=0.35, P=0.73). Only one of the studies reported adverse events associated with acupuncture and medication. The rate of adverse events in the medication group was 13%. In most of the studies assessed in the current meta-analysis, acupuncture alone was better than conventional western medicines for the treatment of AD.

Indexed as

Acupuncture TherapyActivities of Daily LivingAlzheimer DiseaseAsian PeopleCognitionHumansMental Navigation TestsMental Status and Dementia TestsNootropic AgentsTreatment OutcomeNootropic Agentsacupuncturemedicationmeta-analysissystematic review

Identifiers

PMID31209824

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.