Objective To assess the quality reports on acupuncture in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia. Methods MEDLINE, CBM, CMCC and CNKI from 1994 to 2006 were searched electronically. Handsearching was also done. The retrieved articles were assessed in terms of several factors, including the type of clinical research, methodology, diagnostic criteria, inclusion/exclusion criteria, effectiveness measurements, calculation of sample size, follow-up, etc. Results Among the 109 included articles, only 6 were true randomized controlled trials. There were 17 quasi-randomized controlled trials, 13 non-randomized concurrent controlled trials, 1 case-control study and 63 narrative studies. 29 of the reports clearly described the diagnostic criteria, 14 mentioned the inclusion/exclusion criteria, 79 reported the effectiveness measurements, none mentioned the calculation of sample size, 24 reported the follow-up outcomes, and only 1 mentioned adverse reactions. Conclusion More prospective, multicenter, large-scale, high-quality randomised trials are needed, and recommendations should also be made for future evaluations of methodological quality.
ObjectiveTo compare the analgesic effect of different treatment for herpes zoster neuralgia, and optimize herpetic neuralgia treatment. MethodsWe collected hospital inpatient data with herpes zoster by the First Military Medical Case Management System between January 1st, 2009 and December 20th, 2013. All the patients were divided into five groups according to different treatments. Patients in group A accepted valaciclovir capsules and doxepin hydrochloride tablets; patients in group B accepted valaciclovir capsules; patients in group C accepted valaciclovir capsule, nefopam hydrochloride tablets and doxepin hydrochloride tablets; patients in group D accepted valaciclovir capsules and nefopam hydrochloride tablets; patients in group E accepted valaciclovir capsules and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (including nimesulide capsules and ibuprofen sustained-release capsules). We collected such statistic data as sex, age, time of onset, time of pain disappearing after treatment. Then, we analyzed the difference among the groups on the time of pain disappearing. ResultsThere were 336 cases compliant with the standard in all the 898 cases of medical record data. The number of the patients was 72, 86, 66, 60 and 52; while the pain disappearing time after treatment was (5.94±2.54), (8.60±3.09), (5.77±1.85), (5.80±1.96) and (6.86±2.18) days, respectively in group A, B, C, D and E. Pain disappearing time after treatment of group B was significantly different from groups A, C, D, and E (P<0.05); group E was significantly different from groups A, C, and D (P<0.05); there was no significant difference between group A and groups C and D, and between group C and D (P>0.05). ConclusionThe combination of nefopam hydrochloride tablets, doxepin hydrochloride tablets, nimesulide capsules, and ibuprofen sustained-release capsules is effective in the treatment of herpes zoster neuralgia. The use of nefopam hydrochloride tablets with doxepin hydrochloride tablets is more effective than the combination of nimesulide capsules and ibuprofen sustained-release capsules. Doxepin hydrochloride tablets are not significantly different from nefopam hydrochloride tablets. Nefopam hydrochloride tablets and doxepin hydrochloride tablets are not associated with increased efficacy.