Acupuncture therapy for essential hypertension: a network meta-analysis.

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• Cardiovascular Health
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Essential hypertension is a widespread cardiovascular condition requiring effective management.
• Acupuncture therapies are explored as a complementary or alternative treatment for hypertension.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapies for essential hypertension.
• To compare acupuncture with various conventional treatments and sham acupuncture.

Main Methods:

• A systematic electronic search was conducted across multiple databases (PubMed, Embase, etc.).
• Network meta-analysis was employed using STATA15.0 software.
• Outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular events, blood pressure changes, and response rates.

Main Results:

• 31 trials with 2,649 patients were analyzed, comparing 15 interventions.
• No significant difference in systolic blood pressure reduction was found between acupuncture and other therapies.
• Moxibustion showed potential for reducing diastolic blood pressure; acupuncture combined with ACEI or behavioral therapy improved effective rates compared to acupuncture alone.

Conclusions:

• Acupuncture shows potential for treating hypertension, possibly with effects similar to conventional medications.
• The overall quality of evidence is poor due to limitations in original studies.
• Further high-quality scientific research is recommended to validate acupuncture's efficacy in hypertension management.