Effects of acupuncture on obstructive sleep apnea severity, blood pressure control and quality of life in patients with hypertension: A randomized controlled trial

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common condition among patients with hypertension and treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can decrease blood pressure (BP). However, CPAP is not well tolerated by a significant proportion of patients. The authors investigated the effects of acupuncture on OSA severity and BP control in patients with hypertension. Hypertensive patients with mild to moderate OSA (apnea-hypopnea index, 5-30 events/hr) were randomly assigned to receive acupuncture or sham-acupuncture treatment. Patients were assessed at baseline and after 10 acupuncture sessions using polysomnography, 24-hr ambulatory BP monitoring and a quality of life questionnaire. Forty-four patients (34% men; mean age, 57.0 +/- 5.4 years; body mass index, 29.6 +/- 3.2 kg/m(2) ; apnea-hypopnea index, 16.3 +/- 6.7 events/hr) completed the study. There were no differences in pre-post-intervention apnea-hypopnea index, daytime or nocturnal BP, or quality of life between the acupuncture and sham-acupuncture groups (p > .05). Acupuncture therapy in hypertensive patients with OSA did not reduce OSA severity, daytime or nocturnal BP, or quality of life.