Table 10.
Characteristics of systematic reviews.
| Study | Country | No. of primary studies | Study types | Intervention | Primary outcomes | Methodological evaluation tool | Subgroup analysis | Acupuncture point analysis | Main conclusions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment group | Control group | |||||||||
| Mao [39] | China | 5 (232) | RCT or q-RCT | Acupuncture alone or combined with other treatments | Donepezil hydrochloride or the same basic treatment as the treatment group | MMSE, MQ, CMS | Cochrane Handbook | Yes | Not mentioned | Acupuncture is an effective and safe treatment for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but its clinical efficacy is not superior to conventional Western medicine. |
| Liu et al. [40] | China | 6 (330) | RCT | Acupuncture combined with other treatments | Other treatments | MMSE, MQ, MoCA, CDR | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Acupuncture and moxibustion have a good effect on the treatment of MCI. |
| Lu et al. [41] | China | 14 (—) | RCT | Acupuncture | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | CONSORT and STRICTA guidelines | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | The reporting quality of RCTs of acupuncture for MCI was moderate to low. The CONSORT statement and STRICTA should be used to standardize reporting of RCTs of acupuncture in the future. |
| Cao et al. [42] | China | 12 (691) | RCT | Acupuncture | No acupuncture therapy | MMSE, MoCA, MBI, WMS | Cochrane Handbook | Yes | Not mentioned | The current clinical evidence is not of sufficient quality for a wider application of acupuncture to be recommended for the treatment of vascular mild cognitive impairment (VMCI). |
| Hu et al. [43] | China | 14 (1052) | RCT | Acupuncture | Various Chinese patent medicines | MMSE | Cochrane Handbook | Yes | Not mentioned | Acupuncture is safe and effective in treating MCI. |
| Mai and Zheng [44] | China | 5 (565) | RCT | Scalp acupuncture | Western medicines alone or other treatments | Total efficacy, MMSE, MoCA | Cochrane Handbook | Yes | Not mentioned | The clinical efficacy of scalp acupuncture in treating MCI was better than that of drug therapy alone, and the efficacy of scalp acupuncture and cognitive training was equivalent. |
| Deng and Wang [45] | China | 5 (568) | RCT or q-RCT | Acupuncture alone or combined with other treatments | Another aggressive treatment | MoCA, MMSE, CDT, WMS | Cochrane Handbook | Yes | Yes | Acupuncture appears effective for amnestic MCI (aMCI) when used as an alternative or adjunctive treatment. |
| Ting et al. [46] | China | 18 (1095) | RCT | Acupuncture-combined Western drug | Same drug as the intervention group | MMSE, ADL | Cochrane Handbook | Yes | Not mentioned | With the present shreds of evidence, acupuncture plus drug is more effective than the drug alone for the treatment of MCI. |
| Wang [47] | China | 25 (1847) | RCT | Acupuncture alone or combined with other therapies; empirical acupuncture | Drug therapy; ordinary acupuncture | Clinical efficacy, MMSE | Not mentioned | Yes | Yes | Acupuncture and moxibustion treatment of MCI is effective and safe. |
| Li et al. [48] | China | 10 (666) | RCT | Acupuncture | No acupuncture therapy | Total efficacy, MMSE, MoCA, ADL | Cochrane Handbook | Yes | Not mentioned | Acupuncture and moxibustion have certain therapeutic advantages in the treatment of MCI. |
| Kim et al. [49] | Korea | 5 (257) | RCT or SR | Electric acupuncture | Western medications | MMSE, MoCA, CMS, CDT | Cochrane Handbook | Yes | Yes | Electroacupuncture was an effective treatment for MCI patients by improving cognitive function. |