Acupoint injection increases the efficacy of vitamin B12 for diabetic neuropathy: a meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.

Abstract

This study aims to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of vitamin B12 acupoint injections compared to other administration routes in treating diabetic neuropathy (DN). We included 20 randomized controlled trials published before March 1, 2024, sourced from eight public databases, involving 1688 participants. Subsequently, we recorded their basic data, investigated their risk of bias, and then carried out a meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA). The meta-analysis revealed that compared to other administration routes of vitamin B12, acupoint injection significantly improved the clinical effectiveness proportion by 28% (risk ratio [RR] 1.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.22-1.35), peroneal nerve motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV) by 4.43 m/s (MD 4.43, 95% CI 2.83-6.03), peroneal nerve sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV) by 3.82 m/s (MD 3.82, 95% CI 3.23-4.41), median nerve MNCV by 5.48 m/s (MD 5.48, 95% CI 4.71-6.24), and median nerve SNCV by 4.62 m/s (MD 4.62, 95% CI 3.84-5.39) in patients with DN, while having no significant impact on fasting blood glucose (FBG) (MD -0.18, 95% CI -0.44 to 0.08), 2-h postprandial blood glucose (2h-PBG) (MD -0.02, 95% CI -0.36 to 0.33), and the adverse event incidence (RR 1.44, 95% CI 0.44-4.70). TSA indicated that except for FBG, 2h-PBG, and adverse event incidence, the remaining meta-analysis results were conclusive. These findings indicate that compared to other administration routes of vitamin B12, acupoint injection improves neurological function in patients with DN without increasing adverse events and economic burden, suggesting that it may be the optimal administration route for vitamin B12.