A New Therapy for Vitiligo Using Fire Needles: A Systematic Review of Evidence from 3618 Subjects

Table 2

Meta-analysis of the total effectiveness rate in 47 trials.

Trial (first author, year of publication)	Experimental		Control		Weight (%)	Risk ratio
	Events	Total	Events	Total		M-H, fixed, 95% CI
(A) Trials calculating the total effectiveness rate according to the NP formula
(1) Fire needle therapy + 308-nm excimer laser versus 308-nm excimer laser alone
Chen S. Y, 2018	11	20	5	20	0.70	2.20 [0.93, 5.18]
Dun G, 2016	46	50	34	50	4.50	1.35 [1.10, 1.66]
Gu T, 2018	41	52	26	52	3.40	1.58 [1.16, 2.14]
Jiang M. J, 2016	23	30	15	30	2.00	1.53 [1.02, 2.31]
Kuang W. B, 2013	76	96	44	90	6.00	1.62 [1.28, 2.05]
Ren L. S, 2016	42	50	33	50	4.40	1.27 [1.01, 1.61]
Xu C. Q, 2018	35	40	20	40	2.60	1.75 [1.26, 2.44]
Yu C. D, 2017	23	30	17	28	2.30	1.26 [0.88, 1.81]
Zhu Y. Y, 2016	36	43	28	40	3.80	1.20 [0.94, 1.52]
Subtotal (95% CI)		411		400	29.80	1.46 [1.32, 1.61]
Total events	333		222
Heterogeneity: Chi^2 = 8.17, df = 8 ; I^2 = 2%
Test for overall effect: Z = 7.56
(2) Fire needle therapy + other TCM methods versus other TCM methods alone
Bo Z. F, 2017	12	23	3	23	0.40	4.00 [1.30, 12.33]
Fu F, 2019	18	30	8	30	1.10	2.25 [1.16, 4.36]
Lin M, 2019	31	48	15	47	2.00	2.02 [1.27, 3.23]
Liu Z. H, 2019	45	60	34	60	4.50	1.32 [1.02, 1.73]
Xu D. P, 2016	20	29	11	29	1.50	1.82 [1.07, 3.08]
Yang D. K, 2014	21	30	12	29	1.60	1.69 [1.03, 2.77]
Zhao X, 2018	35	49	27	49	3.60	1.30 [0.95, 1.76]
Zhao Y, 2015	27	39	15	39	2.00	1.80 [1.15, 2.82]
Subtotal (95% CI)		308		306	16.60	1.66 [1.43, 1.94]
Total events	209		125
Heterogeneity: Chi^2 = 9.39, df = 7 ; I^2 = 25%
Test for overall effect: Z = 6.51
(3) fire needle therapy + tacrolimus ointment versus tacrolimus ointment alone
Xia F, 2019	20	24	13	23	1.80	1.47 [0.99, 2.20]
Yang D, 2017	20	31	13	31	1.70	1.54 [0.94, 2.51]
Yang M, 2017	6	18	3	19	0.40	2.11 [0.62, 7.20]
Subtotal (95% CI)		73		73	3.90	1.57 [1.15, 2.14]
Total events	46		29
Heterogeneity: Chi^2 = 0.32, df = 2 ; I^2 = 0%
Test for overall effect: Z = 2.81
(4) Fire needle therapy + other treatments versus other treatments alone
Chen G. F, 2017	20	27	9	26	1.20	2.14 [1.21, 3.80]
Chen X, 2018	9	33	12	36	1.50	0.82 [0.40, 1.69]
Dang C, 2019	15	20	9	20	1.20	1.67 [0.96, 2.88]
Du Y. S, 2019	19	40	15	38	2.00	1.20 [0.72, 2.01]
Liu X, 2018	29	45	17	40	2.40	1.52 [1.00, 2.31]
Mai L. X, 2017	20	31	5	23	0.80	2.97 [1.31, 6.73]
Reng S. S, 2018	22	24	16	24	2.10	1.38 [1.01, 1.87]
Tian L. Y, 2018	22	40	13	40	1.70	1.69 [1.00, 2.87]
Wang W. L, 2017	29	39	16	39	2.10	1.81 [1.19, 2.76]
Wang W. L, 2018	45	50	32	50	4.20	1.41 [1.12, 1.77]
Yin Y. Q, 2018	18	32	10	31	1.30	1.74 [0.96, 3.16]
Zhang F. R, 2018	17	34	13	33	1.70	1.27 [0.74, 2.18]
Zhao X. M, 2019	29	45	20	45	2.60	1.45 [0.98, 2.15]
Zhou R. X, 2012	68	100	40	100	5.30	1.70 [1.29, 2.24]
Subtotal (95% CI)		560		545	30.30	1.56 [1.39, 1.74]
Total events	362		227
Heterogeneity: Chi^2 = 10.84, df = 13 ; I^2 = 0%
Test for overall effect: Z = 7.54
(5) Fire needle therapy + other TCM methods versus phototherapy + same TCM methods
He X. L, 2018	26	29	16	28	2.20	1.57 [1.11, 2.21]
Jing L. H, 2015	23	31	13	29	1.80	1.66 [1.05, 2.61]
Li X. S, 2017	34	60	22	60	2.90	1.55 [1.04, 2.30]
Subtotal (95% CI)		120		117	6.80	1.58 [1.25, 2.00]
Total events	83		51
Heterogeneity: Chi^2 = 0.05, df = 2 ; I^2 = 0%
Test for overall effect: Z = 3.85
(6) Fire needle therapy + other TCM methods versus other traditional treatments
He G, 2018	22	28	16	28	2.10	1.38 [0.95, 2.00]
He G, 2019	19	35	10	35	1.30	1.90 [1.04, 3.48]
Li B, 2018	22	29	12	28	1.60	1.77 [1.10, 2.84]
Liu J. J, 2015	22	31	14	29	1.90	1.47 [0.95, 2.28]
Liu Y, 2019	20	29	13	23	1.90	1.22 [0.79, 1.88]
Wang X, 2016	24	32	13	33	1.70	1.90 [1.19, 3.04]
Zhang J. Y, 2016	24	32	15	33	2.00	1.65 [1.08, 2.52]
Subtotal (95% CI)		216		209	12.50	1.59 [1.34, 1.88]
Total events	153		93
Heterogeneity: Chi^2 = 3.25, df = 6 ; I^2 = 0%
Test for overall effect: Z = 5.27
Total (95% CI)		1688		1650	100.00	1.55 [1.46, 1.65]
Total events	1186		747
Heterogeneity: Chi^2 = 34.54, df = 43 ; I^2 = 0%
Test for overall effect: Z = 14.34
Test for subgroup differences: Chi^2 = 2.30, df = 5 , I^2 = 0%
(B) Trials calculating the total effectiveness rate according to the NVSL formula
(1) Fire needle therapy + other treatments versus other treatments alone
Cheng K, 2018	19	38	11	34	6.60	1.55 [0.86, 2.76]
Luo G. P, 2016	161	235	118	247	65.30	1.43 [1.23, 1.68]
Xie H. L, 2017	64	115	51	122	28.10	1.33 [1.02, 1.74]
Subtotal (95% CI)		388		403	100.00	1.41 [1.24, 1.61]
Total events	244		180
Heterogeneity: Chi^2 = 0.32, df = 2 ; I^2 = 0%
Test for overall effect: Z = 5.12

CI, confidence intervals; M-H, Mantel–Haenszel.