Effects of acupuncture in patients with systemic arterial hypertension: a systematic review

• Autor(a) principal: Santos, Camila Cavalcante
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Santos, Aline Maria Torres, Santos, Walmir Romário, Santos, Wlaldemir Roberto, Vidal, Tainá Maria Souza
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Caderno de Educação Física e Esporte
• Texto Completo: https://e-revista.unioeste.br/index.php/cadernoedfisica/article/view/26375
• topic: Hipertensão; Pressão arterial; Medicina Tradicional Chinesa; Hypertension; Blood pressure; Traditional Chinese Medicine

BACKGROUND: Systemic arterial hypertension is a multifactorial condition that causes damage to several systems of the body and its treatment is based on antihypertensive medications and non-pharmacological measures, which tend to have poor adherence. Thus, interest in alternative medicine has grown, because it offers treatment without, or with few, side effects. Acupuncture is one of the most popular alternative techniques. OBJECTIVE: To review the literature to understand the protocols used and the effects of traditional acupuncture treatment in hypertensive patients. METHODS: This is a systematic literature review that included clinical trials with a publication period from 2009 to 2019, collected through a search in the SciELO, EBSCO and PubMed databases. RESULTS: The 12 articles included in the study differed in the use of acupoints, treatment time, frequency of sessions and other technical differences. Most articles used acupuncture as the only therapy and obtained a blood pressure reduction of up to 22.6 ±90mmHg/ 10.1 ±4.8mmHg. The hypotensive effects of acupuncture seem to be involved in cortical, psychological and emotional regulation, acting on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and improving autonomic activity. Four studies investigated the effects on quality of life, with improvements in vitality, mental health and body pain scores being observed. CONCLUSION: The use of acupuncture for the treatment of systemic arterial hypertension demonstrates positive effects in reducing blood pressure, despite not having a consensus on the best treatment protocol.