Meta-analysis of the therapeutic effect of acupuncture on dysphagia in patients with Parkinson disease.

Objective: To systematically evaluate the therapeutic effect of acupuncture on dysphagia in patients with Parkinson disease (PD).

Method: We searched CNKI, WF, VIP, CBM, Cochrane Library, and Web of Chinese Biomedical Literature Randomized controlled trials on the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of dysphagia in patients with PD was retrieved from Science, Embase, and PubMed databases from establishment to October 2022. Outcome indicators included clinical efficacy, swallowing function, hemoglobin, and serum albumin. Literature screening and data extraction of included literature were conducted independently by 2 reviewers, and literature quality was evaluated according to the standards of the Cochrane Collaboration network. Data analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3 and Stata14.0 software.

Results: 466 patients were included in 7 literature, 234 in the observation, and 232 in the control groups. The results of the meta-analysis showed the clinical efficacy in the observation group [odd ratio = 0.25, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) (0.15, 0.40), P < .01]. Swallowing function [standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.96, 95%CI (-1.24, -0.68), P < .01]; hemoglobin index level [SMD = -0.72, 95%CI (-1.25, -0.20), P < .01]; serum albumin index level [SMD = -1.25, 95%CI (-2.19, -0.31), P < .01].

Conclusion: Acupuncture has a specific curative effect on dysphagia in patients with PD, and the therapeutic effect is more significant than that in the control group, which can improve the dysphagia function and nutrition level in patients with PD more effectively.