1 Introduction
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease that is caused by a variety of factors.[1,2] It is characterized by recurrent, episodic and temporary neurological function impairments because of the excessive discharge of brain neurons.[3] Epidemiological studies reported the prevalence rate of epilepsy is about 1%.[4] Despite numerous antiepileptic drugs are available for the management of epilepsy, there are more than 30% patients progressing to drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE),[5] which causes increasing morbidity and mortality.[6–8]
Acupuncture has been utilized in treating a variety of disorders, such as pain, allergic rhinitis, post-stroke spastic hemiplegia, fertilization, cardiac arrhythmia, migraine, perimenopausal depressive disorder, overactive bladder, uterine fibroids, urinary incontinence, hiccups, and epilepsy.[9–31] Although published systematic reviews assessed the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for the treatment of patients with epilepsy,[27,30] no study has specifically addressed its efficacy and safety for the treatment of patients with DRE. In addition, an increasing number of clinical trials focus on acupuncture in treating DRE.[32–46] Thus, this systematic review will specifically investigate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in treating DRE.
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