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Effectiveness of Acupuncture on Pain, Physical Function and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Evidence

  • Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine
  • Published:
Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To identify and synthesize the most recent available evidence of effectiveness of acupuncture on pain, physical function and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods

A comprehensive search of 12 Western and Chinese databases was undertaken from their inception up to end of 2016. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), concerning patients with RA treated with needle acupuncture, written in English, Portuguese, German or Chinese were included. Primary outcomes included pain, physical function and HRQoL. Secondary outcomes included morning stiffness, functional impairment, number of tender and swollen joints and serum concentrations of inflamatory markers. Methodological quality was assessed by three independent reviewers using the standardized critical appraisal instrument from the Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument.

Results

Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. Of those, 9 studies were excluded after assessment of their methodological quality. The remaining 13 original RCTs included 974 patients. Ten of these studies published in China, showed favorable statistical significant effects of acupuncture in relieving symptoms of RA compared with controls.

Conclusions

Evidence suggests that acupuncture interventions may have a positive effect in pain relief, physical function and HRQoL in RA patients. However, due to the heterogeneity and methodologic limitations of the studies included in this systematic review, evidence is not strong enough to produce a best practice guideline.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Susana Seca & António Cabrita

  2. Institute of Science Biomedicine Abel Salazar, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Susana Seca, Diana Miranda & Henry J. Greten

  3. Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC), Portugal Centre for Evidence Based Practice: A Joanna Briggs Institute Centre of Excellence, Coimbra, Portugal

    Daniela Cardoso & Manuel Alves

  4. School of Health Sciences, Macao Polytechnic Institute, Macao SAR, China

    Bernice Nogueira

  5. Heidelberg School of Chinese Medicine, Heidelberg, Germany

    Susana Seca & Henry J. Greten

Authors
  1. Susana Seca
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  2. Diana Miranda
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  3. Daniela Cardoso
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  4. Bernice Nogueira
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  5. Henry J. Greten
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  6. António Cabrita
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  7. Manuel Alves
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Contributions

SS and DM contributed equally to this review. SS, DM and DC contributed with the search strategy, selection of the papers for methodological validity, assessment and review of all the papers, analyses of the results and discussion. BN reviewed the Chinese papers with the help of SS. BN have high-level proficiency of Chinese language. ASC, HJG and MR contributed to the analysis of the results and discussion.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Susana Seca.

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Seca, S., Miranda, D., Cardoso, D. et al. Effectiveness of Acupuncture on Pain, Physical Function and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Evidence. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 25, 704–709 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-018-2914-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-018-2914-x

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