Table 2.
GRADE evidence profiles and summary of findings table.
| Outcome (studies) | No of participants | Risk of bias | Inconsistency | Indirectness | Imprecision | Other considerations | Overall certainty of evidence | Anticipated absolute effects (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FSN | RAT | ||||||||
| Total efficacy rate (10 RCTs) | 470 | 467 | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | None | ⨁⨁⨁◯ Moderate |
OR 3.83 lower (2.36 lower to 6.19 lower) |
| VAS pain scores (6 RCTs) | 205 | 206 | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | None | ⨁⨁⨁◯ Moderate |
MD −1.44 lower (−1.62 lower to −1.26 lower) |
| WOMAC scores (5 RCTs) | 120 | 121 | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | None | ⨁⨁⨁◯ Moderate |
MD −6.07 lower (−8.16 lower to −3.97 lower) |
| IL-6 (ng/mL) (4 RCTs) | 180 | 180 | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | None | ⨁⨁⨁◯ Moderate |
MD −1.50 lower (−1.55 lower to −1.46 lower) |
| TNF-α (pg/mL) (4 RCTs) | 180 | 180 | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | None | ⨁⨁⨁◯ Moderate |
MD −2.26 lower (−2.30 lower to −2.23 lower) |
FSN, Fu’s subcutaneous needling; RAT, routine acupuncture therapy; VAS, Visual Analog Scale; WOMAC, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index.
a
Half of the studies lacked allocation concealment methods, and blinded evaluation.