Acupuncture for uterine fibroids

 

Abstract

Background

Uterine fibroids (UFs) are benign growths within the uterine muscle and are present in 30% of women during their reproductive years. With the exception of hysterectomy, there are no effective medical and surgical treatments for women with uterine fibroids . Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese method which has been used for both the prevention and treatment of diseases for over three thousand years. There are many types of acupuncture used to manage UFs, with body acupuncture being the most commonly used. The literature reporting the benefits or harms of acupuncture for the management of UFs has not yet been systematically reviewed.

Objectives

To assess the benefits and harms of acupuncture in women with uterine fibroids

Search methods

The following electronic databases were searched 21st May 2009: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); MEDLINE; EMBASE; AMED; the Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group's Specialised Register of Trials; Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM); Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (TCMLARS); Chinese Medical Current Contents (CMCC) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI). Citation lists, experts in the field and grey literature were also referred to. No restrictions such as language were applied.

Selection criteria

All randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing acupuncture management with placebo acupuncture, no management, Chinese medication, Western medication or other managements of uterine fibroids were considered for inclusion. Acupuncture management included either traditional acupuncture or contemporary acupuncture, regardless of the source of stimulation (for example, body, electro, scalp, elongated, fire, hand, fine needle, moxibustion). Acupuncture management without needling was excluded.

Data collection and analysis

Two review authors assessed trial risk of bias according to our a priori criteria. No trials were included in this version of the review, therefore no data was collected.

Main results

No randomized double-blind controlled trials met the inclusion criteria .

Authors' conclusions

The effectiveness of acupuncture for the management of uterine fibroids remains uncertain. More evidence is required to establish the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for uterine fibroids.There is a continued need for well designed RCTs with long term follow up.

 

Plain language summary

Acupuncture for uterine fibroids

There is no reliable proof of effectiveness of acupuncture for uterine fibroids due to lack of randomized controlled trials up to now.

 

摘要

背景

利用針灸治療子宮肌瘤

子宮肌瘤 (UFs) 是子宮平滑肌內的良性增生物，約30% 具有生育能力的婦女會有子宮肌瘤的增生。除了切除子宮之外，對於患有子宮肌瘤的婦女並沒有有效的藥物及手術治療。針灸是過去三千年來古代中國用來預防與治療疾病的方法。有許多針灸種類可以處理子宮肌瘤，直接扎針於身體的針灸便是最常使用的一種。關於針灸用於子宮肌瘤的好處或壞處則尚未有系統性的回顧。

目標

評估針灸用於患有子宮肌瘤婦女的優點與缺點。

搜尋策略

我們在2009年五月21日搜尋以下的電子資料庫：the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); MEDLINE; EMBASE; AMED; the Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group Specialised Register of Trials; Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM); Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (TCMLARS); Chinese Medical Current Contents (CMCC) and ChinaNational Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). 引用清單、此領域的專家以及各學術單位的論文、會議紀錄皆列入參考，而搜尋時未限制語言。

選擇標準

所有隨機對照試驗比較針灸療法與安慰劑針灸、無進行處理、中藥，其中也包含西方的藥物或其他療法。針灸療法包括傳統或現代化針灸方法，其中不限制刺激來源，例如：直接扎針於身體、電療、頭皮、長針、火、手、細針、艾灸) ，不用使用針的針灸方式則被排除。

資料收集與分析

二位回顧性文章的作者，根據先前所訂定的標準來評估試驗的偏差風險。由於此版本的回顧性文章無包含任何試驗，因此無收集到試驗數據。

主要結論

無隨機雙盲對照試驗符合所設定的標準。

作者結論

針灸用於子宮肌瘤的效果仍是不確定。需要更多證據來確認針灸用於子宮肌瘤的有效性及安全性，因此持續需要設計完善及長期追蹤的隨機對照試驗。

翻譯人

本摘要由門諾醫院孫于婷翻譯。

此翻譯計畫由臺灣國家衛生研究院 (National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan) 統籌。

總結

利用針灸治療子宮肌瘤：直到現在，因為仍缺乏隨機對照試驗，因此沒有可靠的證據可以證明針灸治療子宮肌瘤的有效性。