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REVIEW article

Front. Med.
Sec. Dermatology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1478073
This article is part of the Research Topic Pioneers & Pathfinders: 10 Years of Frontiers in Medicine View all 6 articles

Efficacy and safety of wet cupping in treatment of neurodermatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Provisionally accepted
Yan Zhai Yan Zhai 1You-Yi Hui You-Yi Hui 2*Zefei Jiang Zefei Jiang 1Lin Ding Lin Ding 1Jie Cheng Jie Cheng 1*Xing Tang Xing Tang 1Hong Zhang Hong Zhang 1*
  • 1 Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
  • 2 Xi’an Daxing Hospital, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Neurodermatitis is a chronic skin condition marked by intense itching and skin thickening due to neurological dysfunction, which significantly affects patients' quality of life. Treatment challenges persist, and wet cupping therapy is increasingly used in clinical settings for its management. Assessing its effectiveness and safety is essential. Objective: This review evaluates the efficacy and safety of wet cupping therapy in treating neurodermatitis. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on wet cupping for neurodermatitis were identified from eight electronic databases and three clinical trial platforms (up to March 2024). Studies were appraised for quality using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Evidence quality was assessed independently by two reviewers using GRADE. Meta-analysis and publication bias were analyzed using ReviewManager 5.4 and STATA 17.0 software. Results: Nineteen studies with 1,505 participants were included, covering six comparison types. Results showed no significant difference in the total effective rate between wet cupping alone and high-potency steroids (RR = 1.13, p = 0.29). However, wet cupping combined with medications or moxibustion showed better results than medications alone (RR = 1.28, p < 0.00001) and (RR = 1.22, p < 0.00001). Wet cupping was associated with lower recurrence rates (RR = 0.31, p = 0.0005) and fewer adverse events (RR = 0.44, p = 0.02). Additionally, wet cupping or its combination with moxibustion reduced inflammatory markers, including TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. Conclusion: Wet cupping therapy's efficacy is comparable to high-potency steroids, and its combination with medications or moxibustion enhances effectiveness, reduces recurrence, and improves safety. However, due to the low quality of evidence and methodological limitations, caution is necessary in clinical applications.

    Keywords: wet cupping1, neurodermatitis2, lichen simplex chronicus3, Efficacy4, Meta-analysis5, Systematic review6

    Received: 09 Aug 2024; Accepted: 28 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhai, Hui, Jiang, Ding, Cheng, Tang and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    You-Yi Hui, Xi’an Daxing Hospital, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China
    Jie Cheng, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
    Hong Zhang, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.