Table 5.
Summary of evidence.
| Author (year) | Outcomes (total patient number in the intervention group/total patient number in the control group or total participants in both groups, number of studies) |
|---|---|
| Acupuncture vs sham-acupuncture | |
| Gao (2011) | Effective rate (OR = 1.28, 95% C (1.02, 1.61), P=0.03) (650/603, 8) |
| Zheng (2012) | Effective rate (RR = 1.87, 95% CI (1.17, 2.98), P=0.009) (91/54, 3) |
| Chen (2014) | Effective rate (RR = 1.19, 95% CI (1.13, 1.25), P=0.06), (596/438, 13); headache times (SMD = 0.75, 95% CI (0.42, 1.08), P=0.001), (362/288, 7); headache degree (SMD = 0.47, 95% CI (−0.17, 1.10), P < 0.00001) (330/258, 6); headache duration (SMD = 0.62, 95% CI (0.46, 0.78), P=0.008), (362/288, 7) |
| Yang (2014) | Short-term effective rate (RR = 1.27, 95% CI (1.11, 1.45), P < 0.0004), (414/409, 9); long-term effective rate (RR = 1.76, 95% CI (1.05, 2.94), P=0.03), (117/115, 4) |
| Zhao (2014) | Effective rate (RR = 1.18, 95% CI (1.09, 1.27), P=0.007) (619/410, 11) |
| Dai (2015) | Effective rate (OR = 4.85, 95% CI (1.69, 13.94), P=0.003), (65/51, 2) |
| Yang (2015) | Not effective rate (RR = 0.24, 95% CI (0.15, 0.38), P=0.61), (19/93, 4); recurrence rate (RR = 0.47, 95% CI (0.28, 0.81), P=93), (14/53, 2) |
| Linde (2016) | Headache frequency after treatment (SMD = −0.18, 95% CI (−0.28, −0.08), I2 = 47%), (952/694, 12); headache frequency after follow-up (SMD = −0.18, 95% CI (−0.28, −0.08), I2 = 47%), (896/638, 10) |
| PuJ (2016) | VAS score 2 h after acupuncture (MD = −0.38, 95% CI (−0.83, 0.07), P=0.10), (350/349, 4); reduced VAS score 2 h after acupuncture (MD = 0.36, 95% CI (0.08, 0.65), P=0.01), (290/289, 3); VAS score 4h after acupuncture (MD = −0.42, 95% CI (−0 .96, 0.12), P=0.12), (350/349, 4); reduced VAS score 4h after acupuncture (MD = 0.49, 95% CI (0.14, 0.84), P=0.007), (290/289, 3) |
| Xian (2016) | Effective rate at 1–2 months follow-up (RR = 1.06, 95% CI (0.92, 1.24), P=0.42), (508/462, 5); effective rate at 3–4 months follow-up (RR = 1.06, 95% CI (0.91, 1.22), P=0.48), (525/476, 6); effective rate at 5–6 months follow-up (RR = 1.11, 95% CI (0.96, 1.29), P=0.17), (515/470, 5); effective rate of more than 6 months follow-up (RR = 2.03, 95% CI (1.10, 3.74), P=0.02), (24/11, 2) |
| Xu (2018) | Headache frequency (MD = 1.05, 95% CI (1.75, 0.34); P < 0.01), (120/120, 3); VAS score (MD = 1.19, 95% CI (1.75, 0.63); P < 0.01), (84/84, 3) |
| Lu (2019) | Headache frequency (SMD = −0.97, 95% CI (−1.60,−0.34), P=0.002), (95/69, 3); headache duration (SMD = −0.73, 95% CI (−1.25,−0.21),P=0.006) (86/82, 3); headache intensity (SMD = −0.67, 95% CI (−1.15, −0.19),P=0.006), (553/490, 6) |
| Acupuncture vs western medicine | |
| Zheng (2012) | Effective rate (RR = 1.24, 95% CI (1.16, 1.34), P < 0.00001), (1602/925, 28) |
| Linde (2016) | Headache frequency after treatment (SMD = −0.25, 95% CI (−0.39, −0.10)), (431/308, 3); headache frequency after follow-up (SMD = −0.13, 95% CI (−0.28, −0.01)), (436/308, 3) |
| Pu (2016) | Effective rate after 3–4 months(RR = 1.24, 95% CI (1.04, 1.47), P=0.02), (449/323, 4); effective rate after 5–6 months (RR = 1.18, CI (0.97, 1.43), P=0.11), (344/220, 2); headache days after 3–4 months (SMD = -0.30, 95% CI (−0.45,−0.16), P < 0.0001), (439/316, 4); headache days after 5–6 months (MD = −0.66, 95% CI (−1.18,−0.13), P=0.01), (344/220, 2); headache times after 3–4 months (MD = −0.32, 95% CI (−0.59,-0.04), P=0.03), (171/145, 3); headache times after 3–4 months (MD = −0.47, 95% CI (−1.22,−0.28), P=0.22), (131/106, 2); headache degree after 3–4 months (SMD = −0.11, 95% CI (−0.56, 0.33), P=0.01), (495/370, 4); headache degree after 5–6 months (SMD = −0.31, 95% CI (−0.47, −0.15), P=0.0001), (385/261, 3); Times of using painkiller after 3–4 months(MD = −0.64, 95% CI (−1.93, 0.65), P=0.33), (207/181, 4); times of using painkiller after 5–6 months(SMD = −0.22, 95% CI (−0.44, 0.00), P=0.06), (174/147, 3) |
| Song (2016) | Short-term effective rate (RR = 2.76, 95% CI (2.03, 3.77), P < 0.00001), (616/602, 15); long-term effective rate(RR = 4.17, 95% CI (2.80, 6.20), P < 0.00001), (331/311, 7); headache times (RR = −0.79, 95% CI (−1.39, −0.20), P=0.009), (92/72, 2) |
| Xian (2016) | Effective rate at 0–1 months follow-up (RR = 1.66, 95% CI (1.16, 2.37), P=0.005), (180/160, 4); effective rate at 1–2 months follow-up (RR = 1.25, 95% CI (1.01, 1.55), P=0.04), (162/76, 2); effective rate at 3–4 months follow-up (RR = 1.55, 95% CI (1.09, 2.20), P=0.01), (239/125, 5); effective rate at 5–6 months follow-up (RR = 1.30, 95% CI (0.77, 2.19), P=0.32), (169/87, 2) |
| Zhao (2016) | Effective rate (RR = 1.18, 95% CI (1.09, 1.27), P=0.007), (649/497, 11); |
| Xu (2018) | Headache frequency (MD = 1.50; 95% CI (2.32, 0.68); P < 0.01), (110/110, 2); VAS score (MD = 0.97, 95% CI (0.63, 1.31); P < 0.01), (198/163, 3); effective rate (RR = 1.30; 95% CI (1.16, 1.45); P < 0.01), (178/178, 6) |
| Lu (2019) | Headache frequency (SMD = −1.29, 95% CI (−1.85,−0.73), P < 0.00001), (512/486, 8); headache duration (SMD = −0.88, 95% CI (−1.32, −0.45), P < 0.0001) (445/427, 7) |
| Acupuncture vs Chinese herbal medicine | |
| Zheng (2012) | Effective rate (RR = 1.29, 95% CI (1.14, 1.45), P < 0.00001), (111/81, 3) |
CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk; MD, mean difference; WMD, weighted mean difference; SMD, standardized mean difference, HR, hazard ratio; VAS, visual analogue scale.