Acupuncture decreases risk of stroke among patients with atrial fibrillation: A nationwide investigation

The authors aim to investigate retrospectively the association between acupuncture and risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, AF patients without any acupuncture treatment record were classified as non-acupuncture cohort and 1:1 matching with acupuncture cohort by age, gender, and all comorbidities. To calculate the risk of stroke in case and control groups, cox proportional hazard models were used and presented by hazard ratios, adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Two equally distributed groups of AF individuals with and without acupuncture were included. After adjusting for risk factors, AF subjects with acupuncture conferred a lower risk of stroke (aHR = 0.46, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 0.38–0.54), ischemic stroke (aHR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.39–0.56) and hemorrhagic stroke (aHR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.19–0.67), compared to the controls. AF patients receiving acupuncture was associated with a decreased risk of stroke.