Acupuncture Treatment Reduced the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Patients with Depression: A Propensity-Score Matched Cohort Study

Abstract

Background: Major depressive disorder is a significant public health concern, which often leads to loss of productivity, functional decline, and various complications. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture in the risk reduction of coronary heart disease (CHD) in patients with depression. Methods: We enrolled patients diagnosed with depression between January 1, 1997, and December 31, 2010, through the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). Propensity score was used to match equal numbers (n=14,647) of acupuncture cohort and no-acupuncture cohort based on characteristics including sex, age, baseline comorbidity and medication. Patients were followed up until December 31, 2013, or withdrawn from the NHIRD. The Cox regression model was used to compare the hazard ratios (HRs) of CHD in the two cohorts. Results: The basic characteristics of the two groups were similar. A lower cumulative incidence of CHD was noted in the acupuncture cohort (Log rank test, p < 0.001). Over time, 1626 patients in the acupuncture cohort (21.05 per 1000 person-years) and 2412 patients in the no-acupuncture cohort (39.84 per 1000 person-years) developed CHD (adjusted HR=0.50, 95% CI 0.47-0.53). The decreased CHD incidence was independent of age, sex, comorbidities, and medications used. The cumulative incidence of CHD was significantly lower in the acupuncture cohort than in the no-acupuncture cohort (Log rank test, p<0.001). Conclusion:The results provided a real-world evidence that acupuncture may have beneficial effect on CHD risk reduction in patients with depression.

The Association between Acupuncture Therapy and the Risk of Disability Development in Dementia Patients: A Nationwide Cohort Study

“…12 Chinese medicine is an Eastern-style integrative intervention that usually involves the use of Chinese herbs and acupuncture. 13 A meta-analysis showed that acupuncture could potentially improve the Hasegawa Dementia Scale (HDS), Mini-Mental State Examination scores (MMSE), and Scale for the differentiation of syndromes of vascular dementia (SDSVD) in patients with vascular dementia. 14 Compared to those treated for Alzheimer's disease with Western medicine, patients in the acupuncture cohort were found to achieve preservation of their activities of daily living (ADL).…”

“…To date, more than 99% of Taiwanese individuals have been covered by the NHIRD. 13 In other words, the NHIRD is a large-scale, long-term follow-up healthcare database. All medical services from both Western and Chinese physicians are recorded in the NHIRD.…”

“…All medical services from both Western and Chinese physicians are recorded in the NHIRD. 13 The aim of our study was to use the NHIRD to investigate the association between acupuncture therapy and the risk of disability development in patients with dementia, including subgroup analyses according to the etiologies of dementia. The results could offer information that could not be obtained from short-term clinical trials or laboratory experimental studies.…”

The association between acupuncture therapy and the risk of reduced pressure ulcers in dementia patients: A retrospective matched cohort study

“… 8 In Taiwan, Chinese medical intervention services are also reimbursed by the NHI, including acupuncture therapy. 9 Treatment for neurological problems is the major reason that Taiwanese people seek acupuncture. 10 Almost half of dementia patients in Taiwan have experience receiving Chinese medical treatment.…”