Music interventions lowered blood pressure in pooled hypertension trials
A review of randomized trials favored music for blood pressure and mood scores, but intervention details and durability remain unclear.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
In the pooled trials, music groups had lower blood pressure, heart rate, anxiety scores and depression scores than comparison groups. The abstract does not specify what those groups received or how long outcomes were tracked. These results therefore leave uncertainty about how music was used and whether the differences persisted.
The abstract omits intervention schedules, comparator treatments and follow-up durations. It does not report whether blood-pressure differences translated into fewer cardiovascular events.
What researchers found
Systolic blood pressure: pooled weighted mean difference
The negative difference means lower pooled systolic pressure in music groups than comparison groups. Comparator treatments and assessment timeframes are not reported in the abstract.
What the review measured
Researchers combined randomized trials using an analysis that allows effects to vary between studies. Blood pressure and heart rate were assessed alongside anxiety and depression measured with self-rating questionnaires.
How robust were the results?
Additional analyses found the results stable, and tests did not detect significant publication bias. Those checks cannot confirm that every relevant trial was available or that each participant experienced a benefit.
The original publication
Efficacy of Music Therapy on Hypertensive Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Gao H, Ren J, Tang F et al.
J Evid Based Med · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41635255
- Record checked
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