The effectiveness of acupuncture therapy in patients with post-stroke depression: An updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background: To assess the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with post-stroke depression (PSD). Methods: The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and 4 Chinese databases were electronically searched for articles published between January 1, 2010 and May 31, 2018. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of acupuncture on PSD were included. The quality of all included trials was assessed according to guidelines published by the Cochrane Collaboration. Results: Seven trials compared the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy with that of control in alleviating the symptoms of PSD. Pooled analysis demonstrated that patients in the acupuncture intervention group experienced a significantly higher treatment effect than controls (RR 1.16 [95% CI 1.08–1.24]; P 
Source: Medicine - Category: Internal Medicine Tags: Research Article: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Source Type: research