OBJECTIVE: The study sought to ascertain the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for fibromyalgia MATERIALS AND METHODS: The following electronic databases were searched: PubMed; the Cochrane Library (CENTRAL); Embase; CINAHL; and Pascal Biomed (last date of search: January 2008). We analyzed pain intensity and patient withdrawals prior to termination of the study. A meta-analysis was performed, and a weighted global effect obtained using the inverse of variance. RESULTS: This review covered a total of 6 studies (323 subjects). No statistically significant differences were observed in terms of pain intensity (VAS): 0.02 (-0.24 to 0.28) or withdrawals: RR 0.91 (0.53 to 1.58) CONCLUSION: This systematic review found no evidence of benefit resulting from acupuncture versus placebo, as a treatment for fibromyalgia.

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