Scalp acupuncture for Autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review

Abstract

Objective: To systematically review the clinical efficacy of scalp acupuncture for autism spectrum disorders, and to update the evidence of clinical effectiveness of scalp acupuncture. Methods: Cochrane Library, PubMed, CNKI, CBM, Wan Fang Data, VIP database were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCT) or case-controlled trials (CCT), published during the period of December 2018 about "Scalp acupuncture for autism spectrum disorder" essays according to the Cochrane Handbook 5.1.0 standards in the research methodology for quality evaluation and bias risk assessment and using Revman 5.3 software for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 11 studies involving 859 cases were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that scalp acupuncture could reduce the scores of CARS (MD= -1.56, 95% CI -2.40 to -0.72 P=0.0003), ABC (MD= -3.07, 95% CI -5.18 to -0.97, P=0.004), and improve the treatment efficiency of autism (RR = 1.31,95% CI 1.16 to 1.49, P<0.0001). Conclusion: The clinical evidence indicates that scalp acupuncture is effective for autism and can reduce the scores of diagnostic scales such as CARS and ABC; Safety could not be evaluated because adverse reactions were not described in all the included literatures.