Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture therapies for intractable hiccups: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Intractable hiccups (IH) have diverse causes, including central lesions (e.g., stroke, intracranial injury) and peripheral triggers (e.g., gastrointestinal disease, tumors, chemotherapy, cirrhosis, surgery). IH significantly impairs quality of life, delays recovery, and increases the risk of complications. Acupuncture is frequently used as a complementary or alternative therapy for IH in China, but no prior study has systematically compared different acupuncture modalities within a unified framework.

Objective

To assess the comparative effectiveness and safety of multiple acupuncture therapies for treating IH via network meta-analysis.

Methods

RCTs on acupuncture for IH published from January 2015 to January 2025 were retrieved from eight databases and four

SUBMITTER: Zhai Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12672884 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature