Auricular Acupressure in Patients with Hypertension and Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Zhi-Hui Zhao; Yi Zhou; Wei-Hong Li; Zhao-Hui Tang; Ting-Wei Xia; Han-Li

doi:10.1155/2020/7279486

Auricular Acupressure in Patients with Hypertension and Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020 Jun 17:2020:7279486. doi: 10.1155/2020/7279486. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Zhi-Hui Zhao¹, Yi Zhou², Wei-Hong Li¹, Zhao-Hui Tang¹, Ting-Wei Xia¹, Han-Li¹

Affiliations

¹ Basic Medical College, Chengdu University of TCM, Chengdu, Sichuan 611137, China.
² Hospital of Chengdu University of TCM, Chengdu, Sichuan 610072, China.

Abstract

Objective: The efficacy of auricular acupressure in patients with hypertension and insomnia is controversial. This systematic review aims to explore the effectiveness of auricular acupressure in reducing blood pressure and improving sleep in this population.

Methods: We conducted an extensive database search in Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Ovid LWW, Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database, Wanfang Data, and China Science and Technology Journal Database on randomized controlled trials published from inception to November 2019 that compared auricular acupressure with a control or comparison group on blood pressure control and sleep improvement. Two reviewers independently conducted data screening and extraction. Study quality was evaluated using the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Meta-analyses were performed on blood pressure, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the efficacy rate of diagnostic and therapeutic criteria for traditional Chinese medicine syndromes (DTCTCMS), and the efficacy rate of guidelines for traditional Chinese medicine (new drug) clinical research (GTCMCR) by Revman 5.3.0.

Results: A total of 18 randomized controlled trials with 1685 patients were identified. Compared with a control or comparison group, pooled meta-analyses showed that auricular acupressure significantly improved systolic blood pressure (MD = -15.05, 95% CI (-18.49, -11.61), P < 0.00001), diastolic blood pressure (MD = -8.41, 95% CI (-11.33, -5.48), P < 0.00001), PSQI (MD = -2.37, 95% CI (-4.64, -0.10), P=0.04), the efficacy rate of DTCTCMS (RR = 1.63, 95% CI (1.16, 2.28), P=0.004), and the efficacy rate of GTCMCR (RR = 1.25, 95% CI (1.12, 1.38)).

Conclusions: The results demonstrated a favorable effect of auricular acupressure to reduce blood pressure and improve sleep in patients with hypertension and insomnia. Further studies to better understand the acupoints and intervention times of auricular acupressure are warranted.