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

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.

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.

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.

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.