• Qingchang Xia, Huawei Gao, Jin Xian, Xiao Yan, Yue Zhou, Yunping Lu, and Yuxia Ma.
• College of Acupuncture and Massage, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong, China.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Feb 5; 100 (5): e24515e24515.

BackgroundThe study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture therapy for elderly patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).MethodsRelevant articles from December 2019 to December 2020 will be searched in the following electronic databases: Medline, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), and China Scientific Journals Database. All published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and credible clinical observations about this topic will be included. Two independent researchers will operate article retrieval, duplication removing, screening and data analysis by EndNote X9.0 and Stata 15.0. We will use the Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized trials to assess the risk of bias of included studies. Meta-analysis, subgroup analysis, and/or descriptive analysis will be performed according to the data conditions included.ResultsHigh-quality synthesis and/or descriptive analysis of current evidence will be provided from mortality rate, cure rate, C-reactive protein (CRP), creatine, troponin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and improvements in chest CT scans, clinical symptoms (including fever, fatigue, cough, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea) and the side effects of acupuncture.ConclusionThis study will provide evidence of whether acupuncture is an effective and safe intervention for the elderly with COVID-19.Prospero Registration NumberCRD42020225245.Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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