Acupuncture is associated with reduced cholecystectomy rate and preservation of hepatobiliary and renal function in biliary disorders: A propensity score-matched real-world cohort study
In brief
Acupuncture use was linked to 44% fewer gallbladder removals over five years
In a matched cohort of 7,930 patients per group, 7.6% of those receiving acupuncture had gallbladder removal within five years, compared with 13.5% of controls. Acupuncture was also associated with lower risks on seven measures of inflammation and liver, bile duct, and kidney function, but this retrospective study cannot show that acupuncture caused the differences.
- Journal
- Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society (Q1)
- Published
- 28 September 2026
- Study design
- Retrospective cohort
- Evidence level
- Level 3, Low (CEBM 3b)
- Authors
- Chao-Yang Chen, Chung-Kai Hung, He-Yuan Shi, Yu Luo, Chung-Yu Huang, Kuo-Sheng Hung
- PMID
- 42803157
- DOI
- 10.1177/09645284261484972
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (paper of the day, 1 October 2026): Acupuncture linked to lower cholecystectomy rate, real‑world cohort
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between acupuncture and 5-year cholecystectomy rate, alongside hepatorenal function preservation, in a large-scale real-world cohort of patients with biliary disorders. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the TriNetX US Collaborative Network. After 1:1 propensity score matching, 7930 patients who had received manual acupuncture were compared with 7930 matched controls. The primary outcome was 5-year cumulative cholecystectomy rate, assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis and risk ratio. RESULTS: After matching, all baseline covariates achieved a standardized mean difference below 0.1. The acupuncture group demonstrated significantly lower 5-year cumulative cholecystectomy rate (7.585% vs 13.454%; risk ratio: 0.564, 95% confidence interval: 0.511-0.622; hazard ratio: 0.525, 95% confidence interval: 0.473-0.582; p < 0.0001). Acupuncture was also associated with significantly lower risk across all seven secondary outcomes, including markers of systemic inflammation, cholestasis, and hepatorenal impairment (all p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In this large-scale propensity score-matched cohort, manual acupuncture was significantly associated with reduced 5-year cholecystectomy rate and preservation of hepatobiliary and renal function in patients with biliary disorders.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.