Analysis of Regularity of Acupoint Selection in Acupuncture Treatment of Urticaria Based on Data Mining Technology / 针刺研究

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the regularity of acupoint selection, main acupoints and theoretical basis in acupuncture treatment of urticaria. METHODS: Papers collected from the time of establishment of each database to September of 2017 were retrieved from databases CNKI, CBM, VIP and WF by using keywords of "acupuncture" "moxibustion" "blood-letting therapy" "autohemotherapy" "cupping" "acupoint catgut embedding" "auricular points" "acupoint injection" "fire-needle" (or red-hot needle), "dermal needle" "needle-embedding" "urticaria" in both Chinese and English. The collected papers were brought into analysis according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, from which the prescriptions for acupuncture treatment of urticaria were subjected into descriptive statistical analysis, association rule analysis, and cluster analysis by using Access 2010, Clementine 18.0 and Stata software. RESULTS: Outcomes of analysis indicated that the treatment methods of urticaria with acupuncture and moxibustion, with different emphases, may be classified into eight categories. For treating the exterior syndrome of urticaria, acupoints of the Bladder Meridian, Governor Vessel and Conception Vessel were often employed to harmonize Ying and Wei and to dispel the pathogenic wind, while for treating the interior syndrome, acupoints of the Large Intestine Meridian, Spleen Meridian, and Stomach Meridian were usually used to invigorate the spleen to dispel dampness and to regulate blood circulation. The top five frequently used acupoints were Quchi (LI 11), Xuehai (SP 10), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Geshu (BL 17). It was crucial to make use of the specific acupoints with adequate meridian-qi, such as He-Sea points, Back-Shu points, and Yuan-Primary points. There were some fixed forms in the combination of acupoints, including LI 11, SP 10, Dazhui (GV 14) and auricular Lung, Shenmen, Fengxi, Adrenal gland, which had the highest confidence coefficient for the meridian points and ear acu-points, respectively. The outcomes of cluster analysis about the acupoint prescriptions showed that 12 acupoint groups as the SP 6-Hegu (LI 4)-LI 11-SP 10-ST 36, etc. were frequently used. CONCLUSION: The regularity of acupuncture treatment of urticaria can be discovered using data mining technology, resulting in an in-depth understanding and having a solid theoretical basis.