{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,3]],"date-time":"2026-11-03T12:13:47Z","timestamp":1793708027413,"version":"4.6.1"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]],"date-time":"2026-03-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772582400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may present as chronic cough, known as GERD-related chronic cough (GERC). Conventional treatment, including proton pump inhibitors, is often suboptimal. Acupuncture has been proposed as a complementary therapy, however, its clinical effectiveness for GERC remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture-related therapies for GERC.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n We systematically searched 11 international and regional databases up to June 2025 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on acupuncture for GERC. Primary outcomes were daytime and nighttime cough symptom scores; secondary outcomes included the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) score and total effective rate (TER). A random-effects model was used for meta-analysis. Risk of bias was assessed with RoB 2, and certainty of evidence with GRADE.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Five RCTs involving 390 participants were identified. Compared with Western medicine alone, acupuncture significantly reduced daytime (MD\u202f=\u202f\u22120.41, 95% CI [\u22120.75, \u22120.07]) and nighttime cough scores (MD\u202f=\u202f\u22120.38, 95% CI [\u22120.59, \u22120.17]). LCQ scores improved (MD\u202f=\u202f2.29, 95% CI [1.99, 2.60],\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&lt;\u202f0.00001), and TER was higher in the acupuncture group (RR\u202f=\u202f1.13, 95% CI [1.01, 1.27]). No serious adverse events were reported. The overall risk of bias was moderate, mainly due to blinding and allocation limitations.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n Acupuncture may be a safe and effective complementary therapy for GERC, improving cough symptoms and quality of life. However, the current evidence is limited; larger, high-quality RCTs with standardized protocols are warranted.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Systematic review registration<\/jats:title>\n \n https:\/\/www.crd.york.ac.uk\/prospero\/display_record.php?RecordID=627037<\/jats:ext-link>\n , Identifier CRD42024627037.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2026.1712003","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]],"date-time":"2026-03-04T06:58:21Z","timestamp":1772607501000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Efficacy of acupuncture-related therapies for gastroesophageal reflux-related chronic cough: a systematic review and meta-analysis"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Tae-Young","family":"Choi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Korean Medicine Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine","place":["Daejeon, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lin","family":"Ang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Korean Medicine Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine","place":["Daejeon, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Myeong Soo","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Korean Medicine Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine","place":["Daejeon, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1005404","DOI":"10.3389\/fphys.2022.1005404","article-title":"GERD-related chronic cough: possible mechanism, diagnosis and treatment","volume":"13","author":"Wu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front 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reflux","volume":"74","author":"Chugh","year":"2022","journal-title":"Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"781215","DOI":"10.3389\/fnins.2021.781215","article-title":"Potential mechanisms of acupuncture for functional dyspepsia based on pathophysiology","volume":"15","author":"Yang","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Neurosci"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4645715","DOI":"10.1155\/2023\/4645715","article-title":"Acupuncture improved the function of the lower esophageal sphincter and esophageal motility in Chinese patients with refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms: a randomized trial","volume":"2023","author":"Yuming","year":"2023","journal-title":"Gastroenterol Res Pract"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"316","DOI":"10.1136\/acupmed-2016-011205","article-title":"Acupuncture for the treatment of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: a systematic review and 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reviews in guideline development: the Grade approach","volume":"10","author":"Zhang","year":"2019","journal-title":"Res Synth Methods"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"239","DOI":"10.13703\/j.0255-2930.2018.03.003","article-title":"Clinical observation of acupuncture at Zhiyang (GV 9) Bazhen points combined with pantoprazole for gastroesophageal reflux cough with damp-heat type","volume":"38","author":"Zhao","year":"2018","journal-title":"Zhongguo Zhen Jiu"},{"key":"ref17","first-page":"1546","article-title":"Clinical observation of the efficacy of acupuncture combined with proton pump inhibitors in treating gastroesophageal reflux-induced cough","volume":"39","author":"Guo","year":"2020","journal-title":"Shanghai J Acupunct Moxibustion"},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"140","DOI":"10.13702\/j.1000-0607.170761","article-title":"Clinical trial of acupuncture treatment of gastroesophageal reflux cough by needling dorsal segment of the 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Medicine"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmed.2026.1712003\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]],"date-time":"2026-03-04T06:58:23Z","timestamp":1772607503000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmed.2026.1712003\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]]},"references-count":23,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fmed.2026.1712003"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fmed.2026.1712003","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-858X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-858X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]]},"article-number":"1712003"}}