Key result
Acupuncture linked to ~22% lower mortality in disabled patients with newly diagnosed IHD.
Why the study?
People with disabilities have higher cardiovascular incidence and mortality, and the association between complementary acupuncture treatment and reduced mortality in those with ischemic heart disease was unknown.
Does acupuncture treatment reduce all-cause mortality in people with disabilities newly diagnosed with ischemic heart disease?
Cohort (n=76,314)
Does acupuncture treatment reduce all-cause mortality in people with disabilities newly diagnosed with ischemic heart disease?
In people with disabilities newly diagnosed with ischemic heart disease, receiving acupuncture treatment within the first year was associated with a 22% reduction in all-cause mortality.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Acupuncture exposure was associated with lower mortality in disabled IHD patients; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change practice.
Background People with disabilities (PWDs) have higher incidence and mortality rates of cardiovascular disease than non-PWDs. Considering the mutual influence of cardiovascular diseases and disabilities, careful observation and complementary management beyond standard treatments are essential when ischemic heart disease (IHD) occurs in PWDs. This study investigated the association between acupuncture treatment and reduced mortality in PWDs diagnosed with IHD. Methods Using a database from the National Health Insurance Service of Korea, PWDs newly diagnosed with IHD were included in this study. Exposure to acupuncture treatment within one year after diagnosis was used to classify participants into the exposure and non-exposure groups, with follow-up for three years or until death. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to adjust for group imbalances, and survival analysis was conducted using the Cox proportional hazards model to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for mortality. Dose-response and subgroup analyses were also performed. Results After PSM, 38,157 PWDs were included in each group. The acupuncture group showed a significantly lower hazard of mortality, approximately 22% lower than that of the control group (adjusted HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.74–0.81). In the dose-response analysis, the group receiving the highest dose of acupuncture demonstrated the lowest hazard of mortality (adjusted HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.62–0.72). Most subgroups also showed a reduced mortality hazard in the acupuncture-treated groups, with the highest dose group exhibiting the lowest hazard. Conclusion This study is a foundational investigation suggesting that acupuncture treatment is associated with reduced mortality in PWDs diagnosed with IHD. Although future research is needed to establish causality, acupuncture should be considered a beneficial option for managing IHD in PWDs.
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Jun et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Ischemic heart disease in people with disabilities (n=76,314). Acupuncture vs. No acupuncture treatment was evaluated on All-cause mortality (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.74-0.81). Acupuncture treatment was associated with a 22% lower hazard of mortality compared to no acupuncture in people with disabilities newly diagnosed with ischemic heart disease.
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