Effectiveness and Safety of Electroacupuncture for Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture as an effective adjunctive therapy for patients with depression. Methods. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about the treatment of depression by electroacupuncture therapy from inception to September 2021 were searched and collected in eight databases. HAMD, SDS, and Adverse Reactions were used as outcome indicators. The quality of relevant articles was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias tool. The quality of evidence for each outcome was assessed through the Grading of Recommendations Assessment and the Development and Evaluation approach. Stata 15.0 software was used for data analysis. Results. A total of 16 depression-related RCTs were included in this meta-analysis. For the main outcome, electroacupuncture significantly reduced HAMD scores (I2:0.0%, SMD: −2.28% (95% CI−3.16 to −1.39)), and the quality of evidence was moderate. The improvement effect of electroacupuncture plus antidepressants was better than that of western drugs in patients with depression (I2:26.2%, SMD: −1.18% (95% CI−1.42 to −0.94)), and the quality of evidence was moderate. Electroacupuncture significantly reduced HAMD scores without significant heterogeneity (I2:0.0%, SMD: −3.76% (95%CI−5.78−1.73)). Studies with very low quality of evidence found that electroacupuncture was as effective as antidepressants in reducing SDS scores (I2:36.4%, WMD: −1.15% (95%CI−2.93–0.63)), and electroacupuncture was found to be more effective than sham electroacupuncture stimulation as well. Moderate quality evidence showed no statistical difference between electroacupuncture plus antidepressants/electroacupuncture and antidepressants (I2:0%, RR:1.05% (95%CI 0.73 to 1.53)). Conclusions. Our meta-analysis shows that electroacupuncture reduces HAMD scores. It is suggested to use electroacupuncture plus antidepressants to improve the curative effect and effectively reduce drug side effects.

Effectiveness of electroacupuncture on anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

“…Only the efficacy of EA alone was reviewed; hence, the effect of EA combined with other treatments is unknown. Further research is needed in this area ( Zhou et al, 2022 ). Fourth, studies with a high methodological quality were relatively limited, based on the Cochrane Collaboration’s assessment tool.…”

Effects of electroacupuncture on obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…[15] Electroacupuncture shares the same advantages as acupuncture in terms of safety and effectiveness, with few adverse effects. [16,17] There have been many studies on the anti-obesity effects of electroacupuncture, [18][19][20] which is widely used for obesity treatment in clinical practice.…”

Electroacupuncture alleviates the symptom of depression in mice by regulating the cGAS-STING-NLRP3 signaling

“…EA therapy is a new intervention method that combines traditional needle insertion with micro-bioelectric current to provide continuous positive stimulation. Numerous studies have been conducted on the mechanism of the effect of EA intervention on depression, and the efficacy of EA in treating depression has gradually been verified [4,5]. The study by She et al [6] showed that a certain improvement effect on the depressed rat model was achieved using EA intervention (Baihui point and Yintang point), which was closely associated with the plasticity of hippocampal synapses.…”