[Therapeutic effect of adjuvant treatment of acupuncture in a period of day from 7:00 am to 9:00 am on non-dipper essential hypertension].

Objective: To compare the infuences on circadian rhythm of blood pressure in the patients with non-dipper essential hypertension between the combined treatment of time acupuncture and western medication and the simple western medication.

Methods: A total of 70 patients with non-dipper essential hypertension were randomized into an acupuncture plus western medication group (35 cases, 2 cases dropped out) and a western medication group (35 cases). In the western medication group, levamlodipine maleate tablets were taken orally, 2.5 mg each time, once daily. In the acupuncture plus western medication group, on the base of the treatment as the western medication group, acupuncture was applied specially in the period of the day from 7:00 am to 9:00 am. The acupoints included Fengchi (GB 20), Zhongwan (CV 12), Tianshu (ST 25), Hegu (LI 4), Quchi (LI 11), Zusanli (ST 36), etc. Acupuncture was given once daily, 5 treatments a week. The duration of treatment in the two groups was 4 weeks. The clinic blood pressure before and after treatment, 24 h ambulatory blood pressure and the levels of serum melatonin (MT) and 5-serotonin (5-HT) were observed in the two groups.

Results: The total effective rate of anti-hypertension was 75.8% (25/33) in the acupuncture plus western medication group, better than 54.3% (19/35) in the western medication group (<0.05). The 24 h average systolic blood pressure, the daytime average systolic blood pressure, the daytime average diastolic pressure, and the nighttime average systolic blood pressure were all reduced after treatment in the two groups (<0.05). The reduction effect of the aforementioned 4 indexes in the acupuncture plus western medication group was much more obvious as compared with the western medication group (<0.05). After treatment, the serum level of MT was increased and 5-HT decreased in the patients of two groups (<0.05). The serum level of MT in the acupuncture plus western medication group was higher than that in the western medication group and the level of 5-HT was lower than the western medication group (<0.05).

Conclusion: Time acupuncture therapy in the period of the day from 7:00 am to 9:00 am, combined with western medication effectively reduce blood pressure and regulate the levels of serum MT and 5-HT so as to maintain the circadian rhythm of blood pressure in patients with non-dipper essential hypertension. The therapeutic effect of this combined treatment is superior to simple western medication.