Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32256645›Full record

ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2020

Acupuncture for the Treatment of Tension-Type Headache: An Overview of Systematic Reviews.

Jinke Huang, Min Shen, Xiaohui Qin, Weichi Guo, Hui Li

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
20citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
6.4field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
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

20 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.

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  17. The Role of Traditional Chinese Medicine Nursing for Stroke: An Umbrella Review.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021
    Article
  18. Article
  19. Acupoints for Tension-Type Headache: A Literature Study Based on Data Mining Technology.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021
    Review
  20. Review
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 at 1 institution in 1 country.

Jinke HuangThe Second Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5623-0564
Min ShenThe Second Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Xiaohui QinDepartment of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences), Guangzhou, China.
Weichi GuoThe Second Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Hui LiDepartment of Standardization of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences), Guangzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5750-0722
Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesBecause current evidence regarding the effectiveness of acupuncture for a tension-type headache (TTH) is controversial, we evaluated the reliability of the methodological quality and outcome measures of systematic reviews/meta-analyses (SRs/MAs) on acupuncture for TTH.

methodsWe conducted a comprehensive literature search for SRs/MAs in major databases from the database's inception to September 2019. The Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2) and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) assessments were used to assess the methodological quality of the included reviews and the quality of evidence, respectively.

resultsEight reviews were included in the analysis. The AMSTAR-2 assessment results showed that the methodological quality of all included reviews was critically low. Thirty-six outcome measures were included in these reviews. The GRADE results showed that 25 (25/36, 69.4%) outcomes provided low- or very low-quality evidence, four (4/36, 11.1%) provided moderate-quality evidence, and seven (7/36, 19.4%) provided high-quality evidence. Descriptive analysis results showed that acupuncture treatment for TTH reduced headache frequency and severity.

conclusionsAcupuncture appears to be an effective treatment modality for TTH, but the credibility of the results is limited owing to the generally low methodological quality and evidence quality in the included SRs/MAs.

Identifiers

PMID32256645
PMCPMC7106880
OpenAlexW3011850001

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.