Effect of Acupuncture on Patients with Hypertension : A Review of Clinical Studies in the Republic of Korea

고혈압의 침치료에 대한 문헌고찰 : 국내 임상 연구를 중심으로

  • Sang Yeon, Jung (Department of Cardiology and Neurology of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University) ;
  • Ye-Chae, Hwang (Department of Cardiology and Neurology of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University) ;
  • Seung-Yeon, Cho (Department of Cardiology and Neurology of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University) ;
  • Han-Gyul, Lee (Department of Cardiology and Neurology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University) ;
  • Seungwon, Kwon (Department of Cardiology and Neurology of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University) ;
  • WooSang, Jung (Department of Cardiology and Neurology of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University) ;
  • Sang-Kwan, Moon (Department of Cardiology and Neurology of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University) ;
  • Jung-Mi, Park (Department of Cardiology and Neurology of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University) ;
  • Chang-Nam, Ko (Department of Cardiology and Neurology of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University) ;
  • Seong-Uk, Park (Department of Cardiology and Neurology of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University)
  • 정상연 (경희대학교 대학원 한방순환신경내과학교실) ;
  • 황예채 (경희대학교 대학원 한방순환신경내과학교실) ;
  • 조승연 (경희대학교 대학원 한방순환신경내과학교실) ;
  • 이한결 (경희대학교 한의과대학 순환.신경내과) ;
  • 권승원 (경희대학교 대학원 한방순환신경내과학교실) ;
  • 정우상 (경희대학교 대학원 한방순환신경내과학교실) ;
  • 문상관 (경희대학교 대학원 한방순환신경내과학교실) ;
  • 박정미 (경희대학교 대학원 한방순환신경내과학교실) ;
  • 고창남 (경희대학교 대학원 한방순환신경내과학교실) ;
  • 박성욱 (경희대학교 대학원 한방순환신경내과학교실)
  • Published : 2022.12.01

Abstract

■Objectives This study aimed to collect and analyze clinical studies on the significance of acupuncture in the treatment of hypertension among Korean patients. ■Methods Among Korean patients with a blood pressure (BP) of 120 mmHg or higher and a diastolic BP of 80 mmHg or higher, those, treated with acupuncture only, were included. A literature search was conducted through 'Embase', 'Medline', 'Science and Technology Information Integration Service (NDSL)', 'Traditional Korean Knowledge Portal (OASIS)', 'PubMed', and 'Scopus'. The search keywords were (hypertension OR 'blood pressure') AND acupuncture. The papers, published before the day of the search (02. January 2022), were included in this study. ■Results Among the 12 selected papers, seven involved randomized controlled trial (RCT), four before-and-after studies, and one case series. The number of RCTs has increased yearly. The treatment methods used in the studies included needle acupuncture in eight studies, auricular acupuncture in two, pharmacopuncture in one, and si-acupuncture in one. The average numbers of patients enrolled in RCTs, before-and-after studies, and case series were 21.1, 30, and 23 respectively. Six studies were conducted on prehypertensive patients, two on stage 1 hypertension patients, and four on stage 2 hypertension patients. The involved acupoints have been reported to be ST36 in eight papers, LI11 in four papers, and PC6 in three papers. The treatment period lasted for < 1 week in eight studies and 8 weeks in four studies. Acupuncture successfully lowered blood pressure in nine out of 12 studies ■Conclusions Acupuncture is a viable alternative treatment option for prehypertensive patients, who are not taking medications. Additionally, it is also useful in further lowering the BP of patients with stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension in the short term. Large-scale and long-term studies on acupuncture for hypertension should be conducted.

Keywords

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