title: [Acupuncture Therapy versus Disease-modifying Antirheumatic Drugs for the Treatment of Ankylosing Spondylitis--a Meta-analysis].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We conducted a meta-analysis evaluating the efficacy and safety of acupuncture compared to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four databases including Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, and ISI Web of Science were searched in December 2014, taking also the reference section into account. Randomized controlled trials that aimed to assess the efficacy of acupuncture therapy were identified. The inclusion criteria for the outcome measurements were the clinical effect, ESR, occipital wall test, chest expansion, CRP and finger ground distance. Finally, six studies met these inclusion criteria. Two reviewers screened each article independently and were blinded to the findings of each other.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We analyzed data from 6 RCTs involving 541 participants. Acupuncture therapy could further improve the clinical effect (OR = 3.01; 95% CI, 1.48-6.13; P = 0.002) and reduce ESR level (SMD = -0.77; 95% CI, -1.46 to -0.08; P = 0.03) compared to DMARDs; a combination of acupuncture and DMARDs could further improve clinical effect (OR = 3.20, 95% CI, 1.36-7.54; P = 0.008), occipital-wall distance (SMD = -0.84; 95% CI, -1.37 to -0.31; P = 0.002), chest expansion (SMD = 0.38; 95% CI, 0.16-0.60; P = 0.0009), and finger-ground distance (SMD = -0.48; 95% CI, -0.87 to -0.09; P = 0.02) as compared to DMARDs treatment alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings support that acupuncture therapy could be an option to relieve symptoms associated with AS. These results should be interpreted cautiously due to the generally poor methodological qualities of the included trials.
authors: Abteilung fx00FC;r Orthopx00E4;die, Universitx00E4;tsklinikum Tongji, Medizinische Fakultx00E4;t Tongji, Huazhong Universitx00E4;t fx00FC;r Wissenschaft und Technik, Wuhan, China.
authors: Zheng-tao
authors: ZT
authors: Lv
authors: Xiang
authors: X
authors: Zhou
authors: An-min
authors: AM
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000592:standards*; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000592:standards / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents