Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with a range of non-motor symptoms that lack effective treatments. Acupuncture is a popular alternative
therapy for PD patients that has been shown to improve motor symptoms. However, the efficacy of acupuncture in treating non-motor symptoms has remained controversial. The goal of our study was to systematically assess the existing evidence for acupuncture's efficacy in treating PD non-motor symptoms of
sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, and
fatigue. We conducted a meta-analysis of clinical trials by searching Pubmed, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science as electronic databases to evaluate
acupuncture treatment for PD non-motor symptoms. Thirteen clinical trials met our inclusion criteria, and their methodological quality was assessed using the modified Jadad scale, indicating a moderate overall quality. Our results showed that acupuncture improved PD-related
sleep disorders and depression but had no effect on anxiety and
fatigue. Our meta-analysis suggests that acupuncture can be used as a complementary treatment for sleep disturbances and depression in PD patients and may exhibit a dual
therapeutic effect on motor and non-motor symptoms. However, further well-designed clinical trials with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these findings. Overall, our study highlights the potential of acupuncture as a viable complementary
therapy for the treatment of PD non-motor symptoms of
sleep disorders and depression, which can improve the quality of life of PD patients.