An Overview of Systematic Reviews of Randomized Controlled Trials on Acupuncture Treating Migraine

Table 6

MAs outcomes about efficacy.

Study ID

Outcome

Acute or preventive treatment

Intervention

Control

Follow-up time

RCTs (n)

I2

Model

Scale

Effect

95% CI

P value

Linde et al. [14]

Response (attack frequency reduction of at least 50%)

ND

Acupuncture

①

3-4 months after randomization

4 (2376)

0%

REM

RR

2.33

[2.02, 2.69]

<0.00001

②

2 months after randomization

7 (1091)

59%

REM

RR

1.38

[0.96, 1.97]

0.08

3-4 months after randomization

11 (1225)

14%

REM

RR

1.13

[0.95, 1.35]

0.16

5-6 months after randomization

6 (1054)

64%

REM

RR

1.19

[0.86, 1.63]

0.29

>6 months after randomization

3 (132)

10%

REM

RR

1.01

[0.51, 1.99]

0.98

③

2 months after randomization

2 (566)

0%

REM

RR

1.35

[1.09, 1.67]

0.006

3-4 months after randomization

2 (566)

0%

REM

RR

1.20

[0.98, 1.46]

0.08

5-6 months after randomization

2 (564)

62%

REM

RR

1.35

[0.89, 2.05]

0.16

Linde et al. [7]

Response (at least 50% frequency reduction)

Preventive treatment

Acupuncture

①

Median 3 months

4 (2519)

7%

FEM

RR

2.40

[2.08, 2.76]

<0.00001

②

Median 3 months

14 (1825)

48%

FEM

RR

1.23

[1.11, 1.36]

<0.00001

Median 12 months

11 (1683)

61%

FEM

RR

1.25

[1.13, 1.39]

<0.00001

③

Median 3 months

3 (743)

0%

FEM

RR

1.24

[1.08, 1.44]

0.003

Median 12 months

3 (744)

0%

FEM

RR

1.11

[0.97, 1.26]

0.12

Chen et al. [15]

Effective rate (headache relieved or disappeared)

NR

Acupuncture

③

ND

18 (1730)

0%

FEM

OR

5.11

[3.81, 6.85]

<0.00001

Chen [16]

Effective rate (headache controlled or disappeared)

NR

Acupuncture

③

ND

18 (1606)

42%

FEM

RR

1.21

[1.16, 1.27]

<0.00001

Chu et al. [17]

Effective rate (ND)

NR

Acupuncture

②

ND

2 (139)

0%

FEM

OR

5.70

[1.88, 17.27]

0.002

③

ND

20 (2096)

13%

FEM

OR

3.96

[3.02, 5.19]

<0.00001

TCM drug treatment

ND

2 (162)

0%

FEM

OR

7.58

[2.30, 24.92]

0.0009

Dai and Lin [19]

Cure rate (ND)

NR

Acupuncture

③

ND

2 (140)

0%

FEM

OR

3.02

[1.00, 9.07]

0.05

Response rate (include cure rate)

NR

ND

2 (140)

0%

FEM

OR

5.37

[2.57, 11.21]

<0.00001

Effective rate (cure and response rates)

NR

ND

2 (140)

0%

FEM

OR

4.85

[1.69, 13.94]

0.003

Gao et al. [20]

Effective rate (at least 50% frequency reduction)

NR

Acupuncture

②

ND

8 (1253)

0%

FEM

OR

1.28

[1.02, 1.61]

0.03

Zheng and Hai [22]

Effective rate (ND)

NR

Acupuncture

②

ND

3 (217)

69%

REM

RR

1.87

[1.17, 2.98]

0.009

③

ND

28 (3059)

81%

REM

RR

1.24

[1.16, 1.33]

<0.00001

TCM drug treatment

ND

3 (225)

0%

FEM

RR

1.29

[1.14, 1.45]

<0.00001

Zhao [23]

Effective rate (ND)

NR

Acupuncture

③

ND

8 (686)

50%

REM

RR

1.19

[1.07, 1.32]

0.0010

Acupuncture with acupuncture on ear

③

3 months

2 (152)

0%

FEM

RR

1.18

[1.05, 1.33]

0.005

Acupuncture with TCM drug treatment

③

At least 6 months

3 (257)

98%

REM

RR

1.24

[0.61, 2.52]

0.0009

Pu [24]

Effective rate (at least 50% frequency reduction)

Preventive treatment

Acupuncture

③

3-4 months after randomization

4 (772)

57%

REM

RR

1.41

[1.06, 1.88]

0.02

5-6 months after randomization

2 (564)

0%

FEM

RR

1.18

[0.97, 1.43]

0.11

Song et al. [26]

Effective rate (ND)

Preventive treatment

Acupuncture

③

1-3 months

15 (1218)

35%

FEM

OR

2.76

[2.03, 3.77]

<0.00001

>3 months

7 (642)

0%

FEM

OR

4.17

[2.80, 6.20]

<0.00001

Yang et al. [27]

Efficacy

NR

Acupuncture

③

Short-term (ND)

9 (821)

69%

REM

RR

1.27

[1.11, 1.45]

0.0004

Long-term (ND)

4 (232)

87%

REM

RR

1.76

[1.05, 2.94]

0.03

NR: not reported; ND: not defined; ①: no acupuncture; ②: sham acupuncture; ③: drug treatment; FEM: fixed effects model; REM: random effects model.