TY - JOUR
T1 - Efficacy of acupuncture for chronic constipation
T2 - A systematic review
AU - Zhang, Tao
AU - Chon, Tony Y.
AU - Liu, Baoyan
AU - Do, Alexander
AU - Li, Guangxi
AU - Bauer, Brent
AU - Wang, Linpeng
AU - Liu, Zhishun
N1 - Funding Information:
This study is supported by a grant from the National Basic Research Program of China “973 Program” (Project Number: 2011CB505202) and the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan” of National Science and Technology Support Program (Project Number: 2012BAI24B01). No other potential conflict of interest related to this systematic review.
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - This study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chronic functional constipation. Randomized controlled trials were searched in several databases. The primary outcome was a change in the number of weekly spontaneous bowel movements. The secondary outcomes included colonic transit activity, effective rate, Cleveland Clinic Score, and health-related quality of life score. Meta-analysis was done by using RevMan 5.1. After strict screening, 15 RCTs were included, containing 1256 participants. All of them were conducted in China and published in Chinese journals. Meta-analysis indicated that acupuncture for chronic functional constipation was probably as effective as conventional medical therapy in the change of bowel movements. For the colonic transit activity, acupuncture might be the same as conventional medical therapy and could be better than sham acupuncture. For the Cleveland Clinic Score, acupuncture was unlikely inferior to conventional medical therapy and the deep acupuncture was better than normal depth acupuncture in abdominal region. No obvious adverse event was associated with acupuncture for constipation. In conclusion, acupuncture for chronic functional constipation is safe and may improve weekly spontaneous bowel movements, quality of life, and relevant symptoms. However, the evidence was limited by the small sample size and the methodological quality.
AB - This study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chronic functional constipation. Randomized controlled trials were searched in several databases. The primary outcome was a change in the number of weekly spontaneous bowel movements. The secondary outcomes included colonic transit activity, effective rate, Cleveland Clinic Score, and health-related quality of life score. Meta-analysis was done by using RevMan 5.1. After strict screening, 15 RCTs were included, containing 1256 participants. All of them were conducted in China and published in Chinese journals. Meta-analysis indicated that acupuncture for chronic functional constipation was probably as effective as conventional medical therapy in the change of bowel movements. For the colonic transit activity, acupuncture might be the same as conventional medical therapy and could be better than sham acupuncture. For the Cleveland Clinic Score, acupuncture was unlikely inferior to conventional medical therapy and the deep acupuncture was better than normal depth acupuncture in abdominal region. No obvious adverse event was associated with acupuncture for constipation. In conclusion, acupuncture for chronic functional constipation is safe and may improve weekly spontaneous bowel movements, quality of life, and relevant symptoms. However, the evidence was limited by the small sample size and the methodological quality.
KW - Acupuncture
KW - Chronic Constipation
KW - Complementary and Alternative Medicine
KW - Systematic Review
KW - Traditional Chinese Medicine
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U2 - 10.1142/S0192415X13500493
DO - 10.1142/S0192415X13500493
M3 - Review article
C2 - 23895148
AN - SCOPUS:84881160713
SN - 0192-415X
VL - 41
SP - 717
EP - 742
JO - American Journal of Chinese Medicine
JF - American Journal of Chinese Medicine
IS - 4
ER -