Acupuncture treatment for functional gastrointestinal disorders: Identification of major acupoints using network analysis

Background

Using network analysis, we sought to determine the acupoints most commonly used to treat functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), particularly functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Methods

To explore the acupoint patterns used for FGID, data on acupoint combinations for FD and IBS were gathered from systematic reviews. Network analysis was used to determine the degree, closeness centrality, betweenness centrality, and eigenvector centrality of each acupoint. The most common acupoint combinations for FD and IBS were examined based on the eigenvector centrality.

Results

Network analysis revealed that CV12, ST25, ST36, CV10, and LR3, which had the highest eigenvector centrality values, were the main acupoints for treating FGID. CV12 was the main acupoint for treating FD, while ST25 was the hub acupoint for treating IBS in the abdomen. ST36, LR3, and PC6 were the key peripheral acupoints for FD and IBS.

Conclusions

Using network analysis, we provided data that will aid the selection of both general and specific acupoints for FD and IBS, along with spatial information (i.e., the positions of acupoints on a body map). These findings could be applied in future acupuncture research on therapy for gastrointestinal system dysfunction. They may also help bridge the gap between the traditional meridian theory, which assumes that there is a link between diseases/symptoms and the specific body region being treated, and real-world clinical evidence.