title: Acupuncture for chronic diarrhea in adults: Protocol for a systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As 2 major common types of chronic diarrhea, functional diarrhea (FD) and diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) affect 1.54% to 1.72% of people in China. Acupuncture is commonly used in clinical practice for patients with chronic diarrhea. Here, we present a protocol of systematic review aimed at systematically review all the clinical evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating FD and IBS-D in adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  The review will be performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement. We will search the following databases from their inception to January 2017: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, China Biology Medicine disc, Wan-Fang Data, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Citation Information by National Institute of Informatics, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System by Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, and Japan Science and Technology Information Aggregator (J-stage). Clinical trial registrations will also be searched. Primary outcome measures are the change of bowel movements. The secondary outcomes include stool consistency, quality of life scales, other standardized rating scales, patient satisfaction, and acupuncture-related adverse effects assessment.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  This review does not require ethical approval and will be disseminated electronically or in print.
  CRD42015017574.
authors.affiliation: Department of Acupuncture, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Department of Gastroenterology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated With Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China Korean Medicine Clinical Trial Center, Korean Medicine Hospital, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing Department of Microsurgery, People's Liberation Army of China 205 Hospital, Jinzhou, China.
authors.forename: Zongshi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jiani
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jinhui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Shang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Tae-Hun
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Zhishun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic