Objective. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize and evaluate the existing evidence on the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in relieving chronic pain-related depression (CPRD). Methods. We searched seven online databases to identify eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for CPRD published before September 2020. We included studies that used acupuncture as the intervention group, with or without a control group, and the control group was treated with conventional drugs. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. For outcomes, assessments were performed using the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and adverse events. Results. Eight studies involving 636 participants were identified and included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that single acupuncture treatment and drug treatment have the same effect in improving the HAMD score (MD = −0.14, 95% CI = [−0.88, 0.59],  = 0.71) and alleviating the VAS score (MD = −0.42, 95% CI = [−1.10, −0.27],  = 0.23), but acupuncture treatment is safer (OR = 0.03, 95% CI = [0.01, 0.21],  = 0.0003). In addition, acupuncture combined with drugs (control group) is more beneficial than single-drug treatment in improving the HAMD score (MD = −2.95, 95% CI = [−3.55, −2.36],  < 0.00001) and alleviating the VAS score (MD = −1.06, 95% CI = [−1.65, −0.47],  = 0.0004). Conclusion. Acupuncture is an effective and safe treatment for CPRD, and acupuncture combined with drug therapy is more effective than single-drug therapy. Nevertheless, the conclusions were limited due to the low quality and a small number of included studies.

中文翻译：

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针刺治疗慢性疼痛相关性抑郁症的系统评价和荟萃分析

目标。该系统评价的目的是总结和评估有关针灸缓解慢性疼痛相关抑郁症（CPRD）的有效性和安全性的现有证据。方法。我们搜索了七个在线数据库，以确定2020年9月之前发表的针灸治疗CPRD的符合条件的随机对照试验（RCT）。我们纳入了以针灸为干预组，有无对照组，以常规药物治疗的研究。 。使用RevMan 5.3软件进行荟萃分析。对于结局，使用汉密尔顿抑郁量表（HAMD），视觉模拟量表（VAS）和不良事件进行评估。结果。确定了八项涉及636名参与者的研究，并将其纳入荟萃分析。结果表明，单针灸治疗和药物治疗在改善HAMD评分（MD = -0.14，95％CI = [-0.88，0.59]， = 0.71）和缓解VAS评分（MD = -0.42， 95％CI = [-1.10，-0.27]， = 0.23），但针灸治疗更安全（OR = 0.03，95％CI = [0.01，0.21]， = 0.0003）。此外，针刺联合药物（对照组）在改善HAMD评分（MD = -2.95，95％CI = [-3.55，-2.36]， <0.00001）和减轻VAS评分方面比单药治疗更有益。（MD ＝ -1.06，95％CI ＝ [-1.65，-0.47]， ＝ 0.0004）。结论。针灸是治疗CPRD的有效和安全的方法，针灸联合药物治疗比单药治疗更有效。然而，由于质量低和纳入的研究少，结论是有限的。