A recent meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluated the efficacy of acupuncture in treating myasthenia gravis (MG). A search was conducted in six electronic databases for RCTs of acupuncture treatment for MG up to February 28, 2023. The analysis focused on the effective rate of treatment and secondary outcomes like the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) relative clinical score, absolute clinical score (ACS) of MG, quantitative myasthenia gravis score (QMG), quality of life, and adverse events. The analysis used odds ratios (ORs) and weighted mean differences (WMDs) to assess the pooled effect estimates. The meta-analysis included 14 RCTs and found that acupuncture significantly improved the effective rate of treatment compared to Western medicine alone. It also showed lower TCM relative clinical score, ACS of MG, and QMG in the acupuncture group. The conclusion suggests that acupuncture may positively impact MG treatment, improving effectiveness and reducing clinical scores. Yet, the quality of the included studies was generally low, warranting caution in considering acupuncture as a treatment option.
Reference: Xue H, Zeng L, He H, et al. Effects of acupuncture treatment for myasthenia gravis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2024 Jan 2;19(1):e0291685. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291685. PMID: 38165870; PMCID: PMC10760751.
