Acupuncture treatment is associated with a decreased risk of dementia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Taiwan: A propensity-score matched cohort study
Hou-Hsun Liao , Ming-Cheng Huang , Yu-Chen Lee , Cheng-Li Lin , Mei-Yao Wu , Peter Karl Mayer , Hung-Rong Yen
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
The purpose of this study was to understand whether acupuncture can decrease the risk of dementia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Methods
Using the registry from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan, we carried out a 1:1 propensity-score matched cohort study to analyze patients with RA diagnosed between 2000 and 2010. The patients who received acupuncture therapy were grouped as acupuncture users (n = 9,919), while the others were grouped as non-acupuncture users (n = 19,331). After propensity-score matching, the final sample included 9,218 matched participants in both groups, and these participants were followed up until the end of 2011. We used a Cox regression model to adjust for age, sex, comorbidiy, and conventional drugs and compared the hazard ratios (HRs) of developing dementia in the acupuncture and non-acupuncture groups.
Results
Acupuncture users tended to be more female-dominant and younger than non-acupuncture users. After propensity-score matching, both groups have comparable demographic characteristics. Acupuncture users had a lower risk of dementia than non-acupuncture users (adjusted HR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.46–0.66). The cumulative incidence of dementia in the acupuncture group was significantly lower than that in the non-acupuncture group (log-rank test, p < 0.001). Patients who received the combinational treatment of conventional drugs and acupuncture had a significantly lower risk of developing dementia (adjusted HR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.56–0.73) compared to those who only received conventional drugs.
Conclusion
Acupuncture therapy is associated with a reduced risk of dementia in patients with RA. Further clinical and mechanistic studies are needed.
期刊介绍:
Integrative Medicine Research (IMR) is a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal focused on scientific research for integrative medicine including traditional medicine (emphasis on acupuncture and herbal medicine), complementary and alternative medicine, and systems medicine. The journal includes papers on basic research, clinical research, methodology, theory, computational analysis and modelling, topical reviews, medical history, education and policy based on physiology, pathology, diagnosis and the systems approach in the field of integrative medicine.