Efficacy and safety of acupuncture as a non-pharmacological intervention for managing hypertension in pregnancy: A systematic review

Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy remain a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality globally, affecting approximately 5-10% of pregnancies according to WHO estimates. This systematic review evaluates the efficacy and safety of acupressure as a nonpharmacological intervention for managing hypertension in pregnant women. Following PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search of Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases from 2010 to 2023 retrieved 285 records.. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted based on the PICO framework to assess intervention effectiveness. Acupressure applied at key points LI4 (Hegu), ST36 (Zusanli), SP6 (Sanyinjiao), and auricular sites such as Shenmen demonstrated statistically significant reductions in systolic (10-15 mmHg) and diastolic (5-8 mmHg) blood pressure (p < 0.05). This review highlights the opportunity to incorporate acupressure into community-based maternal health services, especially in low-resource settings where access to pharmacologic treatment may be limited. However, the development of standardized clinical protocols, professional training programs, and long-term outcome evaluations is essential before widespread clinical adoption.