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Meta-Analysis
. 2016 Apr 19:16:69.
doi: 10.1186/s12872-016-0244-0.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of music interventions in hypertension treatment: a quest for answers

Anne Y R Kühlmann  1 , Jonathan R G Etnel  2 , Jolien W Roos-Hesselink  3 , Johannes Jeekel  4 , Ad J J C Bogers  2 , Johanna J M Takkenberg  5
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Systematic review and meta-analysis of music interventions in hypertension treatment: a quest for answers

Anne Y R Kühlmann et al. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Adverse effects, treatment resistance and high costs associated with pharmacological treatment of hypertension have led to growing interest in non-pharmacological complementary therapies such as music interventions. This meta-analysis aims to provide an overview of reported evidence on the efficacy of music interventions in the treatment of hypertension.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted for publications on the effect of music interventions on blood pressure in adult hypertensive subjects published between January 1990-June 2014. Randomized controlled trials with a follow-up duration ≥28 days were included. Blood pressure measures were pooled using inverse variance weighting.

Results: Of the 1689 abstracts reviewed, 10 randomized controlled trials were included. Random-effects pooling of the music intervention groups showed a trend toward a decrease in mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) from 144 mmHg(95 % CI:137-152) to 134 mmHg(95 % CI:124-144), and in mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) from 84 mmHg(95 % CI:78-89) to 78 mmHg(95 % CI:73-84). Fixed-effect analysis of a subgroup of 3 trials with valid control groups showed a significant decrease in pooled mean SBP and DBP in both intervention and control groups. A comparison between music intervention groups and control groups was not possible due to unavailable measures of dispersion.

Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis revealed a trend towards a decrease in blood pressure in hypertensive patients who received music interventions, but failed to establish a cause-effect relationship between music interventions and blood pressure reduction. Considering the potential value of this safe, low-cost intervention, well-designed, high quality and sufficiently powered randomized studies assessing the efficacy of music interventions in the treatment of hypertension are warranted.

Keywords: Global health care delivery; Hypertension; Meta-analysis; Music intervention; Systemic review.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of literature search and study selection
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mean change in systolic blood pressure in different study-arms in the three comparative studies. SBP = systolic blood pressure
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Mean change in diastolic blood pressure in different study-arms in the three comparative studies. DBP = diastolic blood pressure
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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