Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for IgA vasculitis abdominal pain: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Researchers are planning a comprehensive review to determine whether acupuncture can safely and effectively treat abdominal pain in patients with IgA vasculitis (IgAV), a condition that causes inflammation of small blood vessels. Abdominal pain is one of the most troublesome symptoms for people with IgAV, affecting both their physical comfort and emotional well-being. This study will analyze existing research from eight major medical databases, looking at randomized controlled trials published in English or Chinese through June 2025. The researchers will examine how well acupuncture reduces pain intensity, how quickly it provides relief, and whether it prevents pain from returning. They'll also carefully track any side effects to ensure acupuncture is safe for this specific condition. Current clinical evidence suggests that acupuncture may help relieve abdominal pain quickly and shorten the duration of painful episodes in IgAV patients, which is why it's becoming more popular in clinical settings. However, this systematic review hasn't been completed yet—it's a protocol describing how the researchers plan to gather and analyze the evidence. The final results will help patients and doctors make more informed decisions about whether acupuncture should be part of the treatment plan for IgAV-related abdominal pain. Once published, these findings will provide clearer guidance on acupuncture's role in managing this challenging symptom. If you're considering acupuncture for IgAV or any condition, seek treatment from a licensed acupuncturist with experience in your specific health concern.

This systematic review protocol outlines a comprehensive evaluation of acupuncture's efficacy and safety for IgA vasculitis (IgAV)-related abdominal pain. The methodology includes searching eight databases (CNKI, CBM, VIP, Wanfang, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science) from inception through June 2025 for randomized controlled trials published in Chinese or English. Primary outcomes include symptom and sign scores plus time to abdominal pain resolution, while secondary outcomes encompass recurrence rates, adverse events, and urinalysis results. Risk of bias assessment will employ Cochrane RoB 2.0, with meta-analyses conducted via RevMan 5.3 using standardized mean differences for continuous data and relative risks for dichotomous outcomes. Evidence quality will be graded using GRADE methodology. This protocol represents the study design phase; actual results are pending. Clinical evidence suggests acupuncture may rapidly alleviate IgAV abdominal pain and reduce episode duration, supporting its growing adoption in clinical practice for this challenging gastrointestinal manifestation.