The Effect of Mind-Body Exercise on Blood Pressure in Middle-Aged and Elderly Patients with Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

Objectives. The effects and safety of mind-body exercise in improving blood pressure in middle-aged and elderly patients with hypertension were explored in this meta-analysis. Methods. A meta-analysis of studies from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane was performed to identify related experimental studies by screening out the randomized controlled trials from the time of respective database creation until January 22, 2021. In addition, first, we completed the research registration on the INPLASY platform on March 20, 2021 (registration number: INPLASY202130072) and, second, on the PROSPERO platform on December 28, 2021 (registration number: CRD42021289125). The data were analyzed using a random-effects model with the help of Stata 14.0 software. Results. A total of 2,277 patients from 30 studies were reflected in the present study. The results show that mind-body exercise can effectively improve systolic blood pressure [SMD = −0.994, 95% CI: −1.239∼−0.748, $P<0.01$ ] and diastolic blood pressure [SMD = −0.757, 95% CI: −1.009∼−0.505, $P<0.01$ ] in middle-aged and elderly patients with hypertension. Conclusion. The results of this meta-analysis show that mind-body exercise can effectively improve blood pressure in middle-aged and elderly patients with hypertension without adverse events.