SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Med.
Sec. Pulmonary Medicine
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1513888
Efficacy of Acupuncture as Adjunctive Therapy for Patients with Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
- 2The Third Affiliated Clinical Hospital of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, chang chun, China
- 3Changzhongda traditional diagnosis and treatment Hospital in Jilin Province, chang chun, China
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Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a highly prevalent and potentially fatal respiratory condition. Acute exacerbations can accelerate lung function decline and increase mortality. Acupuncture has been increasingly used as an adjunctive treatment for respiratory diseases, but its effectiveness in acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) remains controversial. Existing evaluations on this topic are limited in scope and depth. This study aimed to provide a more comprehensive review to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture as an adjuvant treatment for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Study design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of existing randomized controlled trials on acupuncture-assisted treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD).We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing acupuncture combined with conventional Western medicine to conventional Western medicine alone in patients with acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD). Our literature search covered ten databases, including PubMed and Web of Science ect., up until March 2025. The primary outcome was the effective rate, while secondary outcomes included lung function (FEV1%, FEV1/FVC%, FEV1), arterial blood gas analysis (PaO2, PaCO2, SaO2), the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), COPD Assessment Test (CAT), modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale, and success rate of weaning. Data were extracted from eligible studies, and statistical analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 and Stata 16.0. Risk of bias and evidence quality were assessed using Cochrane tools and GRADE methodology.The study included 31 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 2299 participants. The studies were primarily conducted in hospital inpatient departments, and the typical treatment duration ranged from 1 to 2 weeks. Compared with conventional Western medicine alone, acupuncture combined with conventional Western medicine showed greater effectiveness (RR=1.23, 95%CI
Keywords: Acupuncture, acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, efficacy, Systematic review, Meta-analysis
Received: 30 Oct 2024; Accepted: 22 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Liu, Yang, Li, He, Fei, Wei and Zhao. 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: Dongkai Zhao, The Third Affiliated Clinical Hospital of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, chang chun, 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.