Effects of acupuncture on cardiovascular risks in patients with hypertension: a Korean cohort study

Abstract

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of acupuncture on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), myocardial infarction, stroke and death in hypertensive patients taking anti-hypertensives. Methods Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service—National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC) database, this study identified 59,370 patients taking anti-hypertensives who had been diagnosed with hypertension between 2003 and 2006. They were divided into acupuncture and non-acupuncture groups. The follow-up period ended with the diagnosis of myocardial infarction, stroke or death. After propensity score matching (PSM), there were 18,011 patients each in the non-acupuncture and acupuncture groups. We calculated the incidence rate, hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for MACE, myocardial infarction, stroke and death in patients with hypertension using a stratified Cox proportional hazard model. In addition, secondary outcome analyses for stroke and cardiovascular mortality were performed. Results After PSM, the HRs for MACE (0.83, 95% CI 0.80–0.86), all-cause mortality (0.73, 95% CI 0.70–0.76) and myocardial infarction (0.85, 95% CI 0.79–0.92) were significantly lower in the acupuncture group than in the non-acupuncture group. Moreover, the HRs for stroke-related mortality, hemorrhage stroke–related mortality, ischemic stroke–related mortality, ischemic heart disease–related mortality and circulatory system disease–related mortality were significantly lower in the acupuncture group than in the non-acupuncture group. Conclusion This observational study with long-term follow-up extends the evidence base in support of the effectiveness of acupuncture for the management of hypertension and potentially reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.

Effect of electroacupuncture combined with rehabilitation training on hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…In consideration of the study design and insufficient data presented, 63 articles were rejected. The full texts of articles were reviewed, and nine were retained for data extraction [21] , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] , [27] , [28] , [29] . The literature search process, the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the final sample size are illustrated in Fig.…”

Acupuncture for insomnia: a scoping review of clinical studies

“…Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown that acupuncture is effective in lowering blood pressure in patients with hypertension (ABDI et al 2017;Cheng et al 2015) and meta-analyses have suggested that acupuncture may be an excellent adjunct therapy for hypertension (Zhao et al 2015;Chen et al 2018). Acupuncture also has been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of myocardial infarction and improving post-emergence recovery through mechanisms that promote neurotransmitter secretion in the central nervous system (Jung et al 2020).…”

“…The use of acupuncture in the treatment of insomnia brings benefits to sleep, associated comorbidities, and reduces psychosocial stress factors (JUNG et al 2020). In addition, the advantage of not using drugs for insomnia reduces the risk of depressing the respiratory system and worsening apnea, causing greater patient compliance (Chen et al 2018).…”

Current Research Status and Implication for Further Study of Real-World Data on East Asian Traditional Medicine for Heart Failure: A Scoping Review

“…This is considered a limitation of RWD studies because, in retrospective studies based on health insurance data or hospital EMRs, the exact treatment procedure cannot be accurately determined. That the treatment was not mentioned in the paper does not imply non-administration [ 54 , 55 ]. Thus, a more comprehensive evaluation of various East Asian traditional medicine interventions is needed through registries, prospective cohorts, and other forward-looking research.…”