Table 1.
Characteristics of the included studies.
| Author | No. of patients (MG/CG) | Mean age (MG/CG, year) | Details of moxibustion | Baseline renal function | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Dose | Course | Acupoint | ||||
| Cheng, 2012 [26] | 30/30 | 57.3/56.9 | Ginger-separated moxibustion | 3 cones/session, 7 sessions/week | 1-2 weeks | CV12, CV08 | Undergoing peritoneal dialysis |
| SCr 650.4 ± 190.3 μmol/L | |||||||
| Deng, 2016 [27] | 30/29 | 42.3/43.5 | Direct moxibustion | 15 mins/session, 7 sessions/week | 4 weeks | CV12, CV04, CV08, CV06, K11 | CKD stage 2-3 |
| eGFR 52.4 ± 17.0 ml/min/1.73 m2 | |||||||
| SCr 141.8 ± 38.7 μmol/L | |||||||
| He, 2016 [28] | 30/30 | Not reported | Direct moxibustion | 30 mins/session, 14 sessions/week | 2 weeks | CV12, CV04, CV08, CV06 | CKD stage 4-5 |
| Liang, 2018 [29] | 32/32 | 42.4/41. 3 | Long-snake moxibustion | 5 cones/session, 0.5 session/week | 3 weeks | From GV14 to GV02 | CKD stage 2-3 |
| 24 hUPE 4.98 ± 1.53 g/24h | |||||||
| Qiu, 2012 [30] | 58/51 | 57.8/57.5 | Direct moxibustion | 1-2 cones/session, 2-3 sessions/week | 6 weeks | ST36, SP06 | Undergoing hemodialysis |
| Rong, 2017 [31] | 32/32 | 45.7/44.9 | Direct moxibustion | 40 mins/session, 5 sessions/week | 8 weeks | CV04, SP06 | CKD stage 2-3 |
| 24 hUPE 3.36 ± 2.54 g/24 h | |||||||
| Shen, 2013 [32] | 28/30 | 52.7/58.1 | Direct moxibustion | 10–15 min/session, 3-4 sessions/week | 3 weeks | BL20, BL23, BL28, BL22, ST36, SP06 | CKD stage 2-3 |
| SCr 79.58 ± 11.05 μmol/L | |||||||
| Sun, 2008 [33] | 37/34 | 63.2/62.7 | Direct moxibustion | 2 cones/session, 2-3 sessions/week | 12 weeks | ST36, SP06, CV04 | Undergoing hemodialysis |
| Sun, 2017 [34] | 30/30 | 56.8/59.1 | Direct moxibustion | 20 mins, 3-4 sessions/week | 12 weeks | BL23, ST36, GV03, GV12 | CKD stage 4-5 |
| SCr 357.23 ± 142.00 μmol/L | |||||||
| Sun, 2012 [35] | 51/58 | 57.8/57.5 | Direct moxibustion | 1-2 cones/session, 2-3 sessions/week | 2 weeks | ST36, SP06 | Undergoing hemodialysis |
| Tian, 2012 [36] | 40/40 | 43.5/44.3 | Direct moxibustion | 20–50 mins/session, 7 sessions/week | 3 weeks | ST36, CV04, CV06, BL13, BL20, BL23, GV14, GV08, GV04 | CKD stage 2-3 |
| SCr 76.53 ± 11.55 mmol/L | |||||||
| Wang, 2000 [37] | 28/40 | 47/45 | Herbal cake-separated moxibustion | 2 cones/session, 6 sessions/week | 12 weeks | GV14, GV04, BL23, BL20, CV12, ST36, CV03 | Undergoing hemodialysis |
| SCr 679.38 ± 203.67 μmol/L | |||||||
| Wang, 2013 [38] | 30/30 | 45.2/46.4 | Aconite cake-separated moxibustion | 3 cones/session, 5 sessions/week | 8 weeks | GV14, BL23, BL20, CV12, ST36, SP06, CV03 | CKD stage 2-3 |
| SCr 221.35 ± 77.53 μmol/L | |||||||
| Wang, 2017 [39] | 42/40 | 32.3/35.5 | Direct moxibustion | 30 mins/session, 5 sessions/week | 8 weeks | CV04 | CKD stage 2-3 |
| eGFR 68.29 ± 37.38 ml/min/1.73 m2 | |||||||
| Wang, 2018 [40] | 38/38 | 32.3/35.5 | Aconite cake-separated moxibustion | 7 cones/session, 3 sessions/week | 8 weeks | CV07 | CKD stage 2-3 |
| 24 hUPE 1.90 ± 1.03 g/24 h | |||||||
| Wen, 2018 [41] | 30/30 | 49.5/48.9 | Ginger-separated moxibustion | 6–9 cones/session, 7 sessions/week | 2-3 weeks | ST36, SP06, GV04, BL23, GV06 | CKD stage 4-5 |
| 24 hUPE 1.56 ± 0.35 g/24 h | |||||||
| Yang, 2017 [42] | 30/30 | 22.4/22.5 | Direct moxibustion | 15 mins/session, 2 sessions/week | 12 weeks | GV04, BL20, BL23, KI03, SP06, ST36, SP 09 | CKD stage 2-3 |
| SCr 136.70 ± 12.52 μmol/L | |||||||
| Zhao, 1995 [43] | 33/15 | 52 (total) | Herbal cake-separated moxibustion | 3 cones/session, 3.5 sessions/week | 7 weeks | GV14, GV04, BL23, BL20, CV17, CV12, CV08, ST36 | CKD stage 4-5 |
| SCr 687.92 ± 183.36 μmol/L | |||||||
| Zhao, 2016 [44] | 30/29 | 69.7/69.3 | Direct moxibustion | 1 cone/session, 3 sessions/week | 12 weeks | LI10, ST36, SP10, BL13, HT07 | Undergoing hemodialysis |
| SCr 897.65 ± 329.42 mmol/L | |||||||
| Zhu, 2018 [45] | 24/24 | 53.6/56.3 | Direct moxibustion | 30 mins/session, 7 sessions/week | 8 weeks | CV12, CV08, CV04 | Undergoing peritoneal dialysis |
| Zhuang, 2016 [46] | 38/38 | 35.2/35.3 | Long-snake moxibustion | 90 mins/session, 0.25 session/week | 8 weeks | From GV14 to GV04 | CKD stage 2-3 |
| 24 hUPE 4.98 ± 0.12 g/24 h | |||||||
| Zuo, 2015 [47] | 30/30 | Not reported | Herbal cake-separated moxibustion | 15–18 mins/session, 5 sessions/week | 12 weeks | GV04, BL23, BL20, ST36, CV04 | CKD stage 2-3 |
| SCr 273.28 ± 102.23 μmol/L | |||||||
| Zuo, 2018 [48] | 40/40 | Not reported | Herbal cake-separated moxibustion | 8–10 mins/session, 5 sessions/week | 12 weeks | GV04, BL23, BL20, ST36, CV04 | CKD stage 2-3 |
| SCr 263.76 ± 89.21 μmol/L | |||||||
Abbreviations. MG = moxibustion group, CG = control group, CKD = chronic kidney diseases, eGFR = estimated glomerular filtration rate, SCr = serum creatinine, 24 hUPE = 24 hour urine protein excretion.