Acupuncture for Prevention of Primary Headaches in Children and Adolescents: A Literature Overview for the Pediatric Neurologist

Background: To deepen the role of acupuncture as preventive treatment for pediatric primary headaches in children and adolescents and to understand if acupuncture is more effective than sham acupuncture or pharmacologic preventive treatment, acupuncture tolerability, and beneficial effect on psychiatric comorbidities. Methods: A critical literature review was performed. Following PRISMA guidelines, all reports published (PubMed, 1982-2023) were considered. PICOS method was applied for paper selection. Efficacy measures were reduction of headache frequency, duration, and intensity compared with baseline, and, if available, with a control group. We also aimed to describe treatment protocols, the reason for choosing this treatment, patients' perception of acupuncture experience, and acupuncture's impact on headache comorbidity and general functioning. Results: Five of 90 papers were selected, corresponding to a population of 229 children/adolescents (zero to 21 years). Among these, two co...