Evaluation of Antihypertensive Effect on Essential Hypertension From Acupuncture by Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antihypertensive effect of acupuncture on patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Fifty patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension were treated with 80 mg telmisartan once a day for four weeks. The 24-hour ABPM was performed before and after the treatment and the trough/peakratio and smoothness index were calculated. The mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) reduced significantly (P < 0.05) in 24-hour period, day-time period and night-time period. The blood pressure loads of SBP and DBP also decreased significantly (P < 0.05). The trough/peak ratio of SBP and DBP was 76% and 72%, respectively. The Smoothness index of SBP and DBP was 1.34±0.13 and 1.16±0.22, respectively. The results showed that compound telmisartan was an effective and safe antihypertensive drug with satisfactory trough/peak ratio and smoothness index.