Effectiveness and safety of scalp acupuncture for treating migraine: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Migraine is a prevalent and disabling neurological disorder affecting a significant proportion of the global population. Although medications are the primary treatment option, their efficacy remains unclear. Thus, alternative therapies such as scalp acupuncture have gained momentum; however, evidence for the effectiveness of scalp acupuncture remains insufficient. Therefore, this review provides evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of scalp acupuncture for the treatment of migraines. DESIGN: PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Korean Studies Information Service System, Korean Medical Database, NDSL, Citation Information by NII, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure were searched from their inception to September 2022 to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) without language restrictions. Data were collected and analysed independently by two reviewers. The RoB 2.0 tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias, and a meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan software (V5.4). SETTING: Eight RCTs including 874 patients were selected. RESULTS: Scalp acupuncture had a higher total effective rate (relative risk [RR]:1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.08-1.43; P < 0.01) than that of ordinary acupuncture. The headache index decreased significantly (standardised mean differences [SMD]:-1.27; 95% CI:-2.06 to -0.48; P < 0.01), and the total effective rate was higher (RR:1.20; 95% CI:1.06-1.37; P < 0.01) with scalp acupuncture than with medications. However, evidence supporting the effectiveness of scalp acupuncture was not robust. No adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: Scalp acupuncture appears to be more effective than other treatments for migraines. However, their safety remains uncertain. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022348879.

Efficacy of scalp acupuncture for migraine: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Migraine is a disorder that is prevalent worldwide. However, there is still no clear and effective treatment for migraine. Recently, acupuncture as a treatment has been attracting attention and studies have shown the value of scalp acupuncture. Therefore, this protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis was created to assess the evidence of effectiveness and safety of scalp acupuncture in the treatment of migraine. METHODS: All published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the following databases will be searched from their inception to September 2022: PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), OASIS, Korean Studies Information Service System (KISS), Korean Medical Database and NDSL, CiNii (Citation Information by NII), and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), without language restrictions. The data collection and analysis will be conducted independently by two reviewers. The Cochrane Collaboration tool will be used to evaluate the risk of bias by evaluating the available studies. A meta-analysis will be conducted using RevMan V.5.4 software. RESULTS: The purpose of the proposed systemic review is to systematically assess the effectiveness and safety of scalp acupuncture for the treatment of migraine. CONCLUSIONS: To sum up, this review will assess the effectiveness and safety of scalp acupuncture for the treatment of migraine. The results of this review are expected to provide new guidelines for the treatment of migraine. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The review and meta-analysis will not require ethical approval because personal information from individuals will not be involved. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.