Moon Heeyoung, Ryu Yeonhee, Lee In-Seon, Chae Younbyoung
Department of Science in Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Integr Med Res. 2023 Sep;12(3):100970. doi: 10.1016/j.imr.2023.100970. Epub 2023 Jun 23.
Using network analysis, we sought to determine the acupoints most commonly used to treat functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), particularly functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
To explore the acupoint patterns used for FGID, data on acupoint combinations for FD and IBS were gathered from systematic reviews. Network analysis was used to determine the degree, closeness centrality, betweenness centrality, and eigenvector centrality of each acupoint. The most common acupoint combinations for FD and IBS were examined based on the eigenvector centrality.
Network analysis revealed that CV12, ST25, ST36, CV10, and LR3, which had the highest eigenvector centrality values, were the main acupoints for treating FGID. CV12 was the main acupoint for treating FD, while ST25 was the hub acupoint for treating IBS in the abdomen. ST36, LR3, and PC6 were the key peripheral acupoints for FD and IBS.
Using network analysis, we provided data that will aid the selection of both general and specific acupoints for FD and IBS, along with spatial information (i.e., the positions of acupoints on a body map). These findings could be applied in future acupuncture research on therapy for gastrointestinal system dysfunction. They may also help bridge the gap between the traditional meridian theory, which assumes that there is a link between diseases/symptoms and the specific body region being treated, and real-world clinical evidence.
我们运用网络分析方法，旨在确定治疗功能性胃肠疾病（FGIDs），特别是功能性消化不良（FD）和肠易激综合征（IBS）最常用的穴位。
为探究用于FGID的穴位模式，从系统评价中收集FD和IBS的穴位组合数据。运用网络分析确定每个穴位的度数、接近中心性、中介中心性和特征向量中心性。基于特征向量中心性检查FD和IBS最常见的穴位组合。
网络分析显示，特征向量中心性值最高的中脘（CV12）、天枢（ST25）、足三里（ST36）、关元（CV10）和太冲（LR3）是治疗FGID的主要穴位。中脘是治疗FD的主要穴位，而天枢是腹部治疗IBS的枢纽穴位。足三里、太冲和内关（PC6）是FD和IBS的关键外周穴位。
通过网络分析，我们提供的数据将有助于为FD和IBS选择通用和特定的穴位，以及空间信息（即人体图谱上穴位的位置）。这些发现可应用于未来关于胃肠系统功能障碍治疗的针灸研究。它们还可能有助于弥合传统经络理论（该理论假定疾病/症状与所治疗的特定身体区域之间存在联系）与实际临床证据之间的差距。
