Music Therapy as an Intervention to Reduce Blood Pressure and Anxiety Levels in Older Adults With Hypertension: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Evidence on the use of alternative substances and therapies in hypertension

OBJECTIVE

Review of some of the best-known biological and non-biological complementary/alternative therapies/medicines (CAM) and their relationship with blood pressure (BP) and hypertension (HT).

SEARCH STRATEGY

Narrative review assessing a recent series of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical trials published in recent years, focusing on the effects of CAM on BP and HT.

SELECTION OF STUDIES

We searched EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar, obtaining a total of 4336 articles, finally limiting the search to 181 after applying filters.

SYNTHESIS OF RESULTS

Some studies on biological therapies show some usefulness in BP reduction with an adequate benefit-risk balance, although there is a scarcity of high-quality trials that support these results. Some mind-body therapies have shown hypothetical benefit; in contrast, others lack robust evidence.

CONCLUSIONS

Although some therapies present a reasonable risk-benefit ratio, they should in no case replace pharmacological treatment when indicated.

Music Nursing as Complementary Therapy Improves Anxiety, Fatigue, and Quality of Life in Children with Acute Leukaemia: A Retrospective Study

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effects of music nursing as a complementary therapy on anxiety, fatigue, and quality of life in children with acute leukemia (AL).

METHODS

This study included 150 children with AL admitted to our hospital from August 2021 to August 2023 and divided them into two groups based on treatment: the control (n = 76, received routine nursing) and observation (n = 74, received music nursing on the basis of routine nursing) groups. Comparison of groups was performed in terms of general information, anxiety, fatigue, and quality of life at admission (T0) and 1 month after admission (T1).

RESULTS

No significant differences were observed in the general data between the two groups (P > 0.05). Anxiety, fatigue, and quality of life of the two groups also showed no significant differences at T0 (P > 0.05). The observation group showed significantly lower anxiety than the control group at T1 (P < 0.05). At T1, the observation group exhibited a lower fatigue degree compared with the control group (P < 0.05). At T1, the observation group attained higher scores on physiological and emotional dimensions of the quality of life compared with the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Music nursing for AL children, which has a certain clinical application value, can effectively reduce their anxiety and fatigue and improve their quality of life.

Effects of live music during hemodialysis treatments in pediatric patients

BACKGROUND

Engaging chronically ill pediatric patients with live music has been associated with improved physiological and psychological well-being. However, the impact of live music during hemodialysis treatments has yet to be assessed, in particular in pediatric patients. This study focuses on the effects of live music therapy during chronic hemodialysis treatment.

METHODS

An experimental design with randomization was applied in this pilot study. A total of 16 participants with kidney failure requiring hemodialysis participated in the study. In addition to their usual care (N = 96 measurements), the patients in the experimental group listened to 30 min of live music during their hemodialysis procedure. The control group was observed for 30 min while they received their usual care (N = 96 measurements) and were exposed to a series of animated videos that were broadcast in the common room where hemodialysis treatment is performed. Data concerning heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of depression and anxiety were collected for analysis.

RESULTS

Live music significantly reduced heart rate (p < 0.05), systolic pressure (p < 0.05) and diastolic pressure (p < 0.05). The findings also highlighted that, after listening to live music, there was a significant decrease in anxiety and depression (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In our small study sample, live music improved some physiological and psychological indices in pediatric hemodialysis patients. Further research evaluating larger samples with longitudinal follow-up is required.

Adjuvant music therapy for patients with hypertension: a meta-analysis and systematic review

BACKGROUND

High blood pressure, anxiety, depression and sleep disorder is very common in patients with hypertension. We aimed to perform a meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of adjuvant music therapy for patients with hypertension, to provide insights to the clinical management of hypertension.

METHODS

Two authors searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Biomedical Literature Database, Wanfang Databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the role of music therapy in hypertension up to Oct 15, 2022. RevMan 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 20 RCTs including 2306 patients were finally included. 1154 patients received music therapy. Meta-analysis showed that music therapy can effectively reduce the systolic blood pressure(MD = - 9.00, 95%CI: - 11.99~- 6.00), diastolic blood pressure(MD = -6.53, 95%CI: -9.12~- 3.93), heart rate (MD = -3.76, 95%CI: -7.32~- 0.20), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) score(MD =-8.55, 95%CI: -12.04~-4.12), self-rating depression scale (SDS) score(MD = -9.17, 95%CI: -13.85~-5.18), Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA), score(MD = -3.37, 95%CI: - 5.38~- 1.36), PSQI score(MD =-1.61, 95%CI:-2.30~- 0.93) compared with routine therapy in patients with hypertension(all P < 0.05). No publication bias in the synthesized outcomes were found (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Music therapy can effectively control blood pressure and heart rate, reduce anxiety and depression levels, and improve sleep quality in hypertensive patients. Limited by the quantity and quality of included studies, the above conclusions need to be verified by more high-quality studies.