Dataset Information

Bee venom acupuncture for rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To assess the clinical evidence for bee venom acupuncture (BVA) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Design

Systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

Setting

We searched 14 databases up to March 2014 without a language restriction.

Participants

Patients with RA.

Intervention

BVA involved injecting purified, diluted BV into acupoints. We included trials on BVA used alone or in combination with a conventional therapy versus the conventional therapy alone.

Primary outcomes

Morning stiffness, pain and joint swelling

Secondary outcomes

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), rheumatoid factor, the number of joints affected by RA and adverse effects likely related to RA.

Results

A total of 304 potentially relevant studies were identified; only one RCT met our inclusion criteria. Compared with placebo, BVA may more effectively improve joint pain, swollen joint counts, tender joint counts, ESR and CRP but was not shown to improve morning stiffness.

Conclusions

There is low-quality evidence, based on one trial, that BVA can significantly reduce pain, morning stiffness, tender joint counts, swollen joint counts and improve the quality of life of patients with RA compared with placebo (normal saline injection) control. However, the number of trials, their quality and the total sample size were too low to draw firm conclusions.

Trial registration number

PROSPERO 2013: CRD42013005853.

SUBMITTER: Lee JA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4225238 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Bee venom acupuncture for rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials.

Lee Ju Ah JA Son Mi Ju MJ Choi Jiae J Jun Ji Hee JH Kim Jong-In JI Lee Myeong Soo MS

BMJ open 20141107 11

<h4>Objective</h4>To assess the clinical evidence for bee venom acupuncture (BVA) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).<h4>Design</h4>Systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs).<h4>Setting</h4>We searched 14 databases up to March 2014 without a language restriction.<h4>Participants</h4>Patients with RA.<h4>Intervention</h4>BVA involved injecting purified, diluted BV into acupoints. We included trials on BVA used alone or in combination with a conventional therapy versus the conventional t ...[more]

PMID: 25380812

Similar Datasets

Project description:IntroductionRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the common autoimmune disease with low quality of life. The representative treatment is medication and medication usage has improved through update of clinical guidelines, however, there are still limitations. Bee venom (BV) has been reported to have meaningful therapeutic effects and the possibility of alternative options for RA through several types of studies, but there is no well-organised and recent published systematic review (SR).MethodsWe will search randomised controlled trials about the BV on RA from the inception to 31 May 2022 in various databases, manual research and contacting authors. Electronic databases will include MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, CiNii, J-STAGE, KoreaMed, Korean Medical Database, Korean Studies Information Service System, National Digital Science Library, Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information and Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System. With screening and reviewing process, we will identify the eligible studies and extract the needed data. The primary outcome will be the disease activity scores indicating the improvement of RA symptoms (American College of Rheumatology response criteria 20, 50, 70), functions (Health Assessment Questionnaire, Disease Activity Score of 28 joints), joint (Western Ontario and McMaster universities osteoarthritis index), pain (Visual Analogue Scale, Numerical Rating Scale) and effective rate. The secondary outcomes will be the RA-related blood test levels and adverse events. We will perform a meta-analysis by Review Manager software, the assessment of risk of bias by Cochrane Collaboration 'risk of bias' and the determination of quality of evidence by Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation.Ethics and disseminationOur SR will suggest the clinical evidence of the use of BV for RA to patient, clinicians and policymakers. We will publish our results in a peer-review journal.Prospero registration numberCRD42021238058.

Project description:ImportanceRacial/ethnic minority groups, women, and elderly people experience a disproportionate burden of disease in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), making it particularly important to examine drug therapies in these populations. Despite a national health agenda to improve representation of diverse populations in randomized clinical trials (RCTs), there have been few large-scale analyses examining RCT demographic characteristics within rheumatology and none focusing on RA.ObjectiveTo characterize the representation of racial/ethnic minority groups, women, and elderly people through a comprehensive systematic review of RA RCTs.Data sourcesA literature search of PubMed's MEDLINE database was conducted to identify RA RCTs in adults 19 years and older published in English between January 1, 2008, and January 1, 2018.Study selectionRandomized double-blind RCTs examining any systemic, disease-modifying therapy were included. Secondary analyses of previously published RCTs were excluded. Of 1195 identified records, 240 articles (20.1%) met final selection criteria. The analysis focused on RCTs with at least 1 US-based site.Data extraction and synthesisData were extracted and synthesized according to the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. Studies were screened for eligibility criteria. Demographic data on the age, sex, and race/ethnicity of RCT participants were extracted. Data analysis was conducted from October 25, 2018, to March 15, 2019.Main outcomes and measuresRepresentation of race/ethnicity and sex, defined as the proportion of total participants that belonged to each racial/ethnic group or sex. Trends in proportions over time were examined and compared with US demographic data.ResultsA total of 240 RCTs with 77 071 participants were included. Of 126 RCTs with at least 1 US-based site (52.5%), the enrollment of minority racial/ethnic groups was significantly lower than their representation within the US Census population (16% vs 40%; P < .001), and the enrollment of men was significantly lower than the incidence of RA in men nationally (20.4% vs 28.6%; P < .001). There was no trend toward improved representation of racial/ethnic minority groups or men over time.Conclusions and relevanceGiven the disproportionate burden of RA among racial/ethnic minority groups, it is imperative that policy makers better incentivize the inclusion of racial/ethnic minority groups in RA RCTs.

Project description:ObjectiveAcupuncture has been used by rehabilitation specialists as an adjunctive treatment for the symptomatic treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in treating patients with RA.MethodsA comprehensive search was conducted in CBM, CNKI, PubMed, CENTRAL, Web of Science, and Embase from their inception up to March 2022. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) without the language restriction, concerning the patients with RA treated with acupuncture, were included. Two reviewers independently assessed the risk of bias with the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment tool. Weight mean difference (MD) and 95% CI were calculated, and data were pooled with random effects model.ResultsA total of eleven RCTs involving 796 patients with RA met the established inclusion criteria. This systematic review indicated the efficacy of acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment for patients with RA. Invasive acupuncture could reduce significantly in pain (MD = -1.00, 95% CI: -1.96 to -0.05, P=0.040), health assessment questionnaire (HAQ, MD = -0.20, 95% CI: -0.30 to -0.11, P < 0.001), physician global assessment (PhGA, MD = -0.98, 95% CI: -1.23 to -0.72, P < 0.001), tender joint count (TJC, MD = -1.24, 95% CI: -2.11 to -0.37, P=0.005), C-reactive protein (CRP, MD = -1.81, 95% CI: -3.32 to -0.29, P=0.019), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR, MD = -3.03, 95% CI: -5.80 to -0.26, P=0.032), while compared to control group. Laser acupuncture could reduce HAQ (MD = -0.15, 95% CI: -0.28 to -0.01, P=0.034), the RA quality of life questionnaire (RAQoL, MD = -2.32, 95% CI: -4.40 to -0.25, P=0.028), CRP (MD = -35.24, 95% CI: -36.49 to -33.99, P < 0.001), and interleukin-6 (IL-6, MD = -29.63, 95% CI: -49.34 to -9.92, P=0.003), while compared to control group. No adverse events associated with acupuncture were reported.ConclusionAvailable evidence suggests that acupuncture is beneficial for relieving pain and ameliorating quality of life and health index in patients with RA; thereby, it should be available as an adjunctive nonpharmacological treatment in rehabilitation programmes.

Dataset Information

Bee venom acupuncture for rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials.

Objective

Design

Setting

Participants

Intervention

Primary outcomes

Secondary outcomes

Results

Conclusions

Trial registration number

Publications

Bee venom acupuncture for rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets