Presentation title
Primary Dysmenorrhea : Acupuncture versus Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
Scheduled
Day 2, 12:00
Presentation summary
Co-Authors :
Carlo Maria Giovanardi – Associazione Medici Agopuntore Bolognesi (AMAB)
Alessandra Poini – Associazione Medici Agopuntore Bolognesi (AMAB), Italy.
Primary dysmenorrhea is a highly prevalent condition among women, with an incidence ranging from 45% to 97% across different age groups and nationalities. It accounts for 1–3% of school and work absenteeism, corresponding to an estimated loss of 600 million hours annually and 2 billion dollars in the United States.
The systematic review addressed the following clinical question: In patients with moderate to severe primary dysmenorrhea, should acupuncture be considered as an alternative to conventional treatment with analgesics?
Three modalities of acupuncture were examined: manual acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and acupuncture combined with moxibustion.
A total of 28 studies involving 2,057 participants were included. The outcomes assessed comprised pain intensity (measured by VAS or NRS), limitations in activities of daily living, quality of life, reduction of menstrual symptoms, duration of pain, school and work absenteeism, and adverse events.
Based on the findings of this review, acupuncture for the management of primary dysmenorrhea has been incorporated into the recommendations of the Guidelines of the Italian National Institute of Health.
Conflict of interest
No
giovanardicarlo@libero.it
MD
President of A.M.A.B (Association of Medical Acupuncturists of Bologna)
President of F.I.S.A. (Italian Federation of Acupuncture Societies)
1986 – Founding member of AMAB and President ever since ; founding member of the Italian – Chinese School of Acupuncture in Bologna and Director ever since
Since 1999 – President of the Italian Federation of Acupuncture Societies (FISA)
1998 to 2008 – Director of the School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine
Since 2001 – Vice President of Pan European Federation of TCM Societies (PEFOTS)
Since 2003 – Expert on the CME Programme, Italian Ministry of Health
2003 – WHO member collaborating on Guidelines for Acupuncture Research
Since 2004 – Member of the Observatory for Non Conventional Medicine of the Emilia Romagna
Region
Since 2005 – Member of the Joint Steering Committee (mutual commitment of the Italian Ministry of Health and the Government of People’s Republic of China for Promotion of High Quality Teaching and Practice of TCM in Italy)
2007 – 2021 – Vice President of the World Federation Chinese Medicine Societies (WFCMS)
2010 to 2014 – Expert for the National Health Council on Non Conventional Medicine
Since 2018 – International Ambassador Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR)