Introduction: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of acupuncture in patients with herpes zoster (HZ) based on current randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Methods: Five databases were screened for RCTs published until August 2019. Studies that assessed the efficacy of acupuncture when used as an independent intervention for HZ were included. The outcomes of interest were pain intensity, as assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS), incrustation time, decrustation time, and incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). Results: In total, 21 RCTs were included in this research. Compared with antiviral therapy, acupuncture was associated with a reduction in VAS score by 16.13, incrustation time by 1.86 days, decrustation time by 2.19 days, and incidence of PHN by 83%. According to a meta-regression analysis, the main sources of heterogeneity were sample size and duration of treatment. There was no publication bias except on decrustation time. A sensitivity analysis showed that the outcomes were relatively stable and reliable. Conclusion: Acupuncture may be effective for patients with HZ. Nevertheless, this finding should be validated by conducting high-quality trials with a larger sample size.
Complement Med Res

中文翻译：

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针灸治疗带状疱疹的疗效：系统评价和荟萃分析

简介：本研究旨在根据目前的随机临床试验 (RCT) 评估针灸治疗带状疱疹 (HZ) 患者的疗效。方法：筛选了 5 个数据库中截至 2019 年 8 月发表的 RCT。纳入了评估针灸作为 HZ 独立干预措施疗效的研究。感兴趣的结果是疼痛强度，使用视觉模拟量表 (VAS)、结痂时间、脱痂时间和带状疱疹后神经痛 (PHN) 的发生率进行评估。结果：本研究共纳入 21 项 RCT。与抗病毒治疗相比，针灸与 VAS 评分降低 16.13、结痂时间降低 1.86 天、结痂时间降低 2.19 天和 PHN 发生率降低 83% 相关。根据元回归分析，异质性的主要来源是样本量和治疗持续时间。除脱壳时间外，没有发表偏倚。敏感性分析表明，结果相对稳定可靠。结论：针灸可能对HZ患者有效。然而，这一发现应通过进行更大样本量的高质量试验来验证。
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