Objective

2

To explore the rules of acupoint selection and compatibility of acupuncture and moxibustion in treatment of chronic cough using data mining.

Methods

2

The ancient and modern medical record cloud platform

and the databases

i.e. CNKI

Wanfang

VIP

EMbase

Web of Science and PubMed

were searched to screen the ancient and modern literature on acupuncture and moxibustion treatment of chronic cough. The prescription database was established for acupuncture and moxibustion treatment of chronic cough

and the analysis conducted on the frequency and use percentage in the aspects of intervention measures

acupoint selection

acupoint distribution

meridian tropism

special points and acupoint combination

as well as the association rules and clustering rules of acupoint selection. The subgroup analysis was performed in accordance with the etiology of chronic cough and intervention measures.

Results

2

A total of 106 articles were included and 158 prescriptions were extracted. The intervention measures were acupuncture

moxibustion

herbal medication and the combination of several measures. The high-frequency acupoints included Feishu (BL13)

Zusanli (ST36)

Dazhui (GV14)

Pishu (BL20)

Danzhong (CV17)

Shenshu (BL23)

Lieque (LU7)

Dingchuan (EX-B1)

Tiantu (CV22)

and Fenglong (ST40). These acupoints are mainly distributed on the back

lumbar region

chest and abdomen. The involved meridians were bladder meridian of foot-

taiyang

conception vessel

and lung meridian of hand-

taiyin

. The special points covered back-

shu

points

crossing points and five-

shu

point. Regarding the compatibility of acupoints

the combination of upper and lower points

and the combination of front and back points were predominant in treatment. The analysis of association rules found that the support of Feishu (BL13)→Zusanli (ST36) was the highest; the cluster analysis obtained 8 clusters of acupoints. The acupoint compatibility and overall rules were similar when cough variant asthma (CVA) or the mixed reasons were involved

and the local treatment approach was adopted if the etiology of disease was related to upper airway cough syndrome (UACS) and gastroesophageal reflux cough (GERC). The acupoint selection was similar among different intervention measures. When two kinds of measures were combined in treatment

Feishu (BL13)

Pishu (BL20) and Zusanli (ST36) were the most common.

Conclusion

2

In treatment with acupuncture and moxibustion for chronic cough

the acupoints are selected on the affected local area

depending on syndrome differentiation

and focusing on back-

shu

points. The main acupoints are Feishu (BL13)

Zusanli (ST36)

Dazhui (GV14)

Pish

u (BL20)

Danzhong (CV17) and Shenshu (BL23). The combined therapy is dominant with acupuncture

moxibustion and herbal medicine involved.