OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on severe obesity complicated with hyperlipidemia in different genders and their comprehensive effect, lipid indexes, and obesity indexes.

METHODSA total of 264 patients of severe obesity complicated with hyperlipidemia were assigned into a male group (106 cases) and a female group (158 cases)．According to their clinical symptoms and patterns, acupuncture and moxibustion differentiation therapies were applied for stomach and intestine heat type, spleen deficiency and dampness resistance type, phlegm-dampness internal resistance type, liver depression and spleen deficiency type, spleen and kidney deficiency type and deficiency and blood stasis type．The obesity indexes were weight (W), obesity degree (A), body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (F); the blood lipid indexes were total cholesterol (TC)，triglyceride (TG)，low density lipoprotein (LDL-C) and high density lipoprotein (HDL-C). The comprehensive effect, obesity and blood lipid indexes were observed．.

RESULTSThe total effective rate of the male group was 91.5% (97/106), and the total effective rate of the female group was 85.4% (135/158) , without statistical significance (>0.05). After treatment, the obesity indexes of W, A, BMI and F and the blood lipid levels of TC, TG, LDL-C decreased, the levels of HDL-C increased compared with those before treatment in the two groups (<0.05, <0.01). The different values before and after treatment of the above all indexes in the male group were higher than those in the female group (all <0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture and moxibustion can both improve the obesity and blood lipid indexes for the patients with obesity complicated with hyperlipidemia. The effect is better for male than for female. The methods can prevent and treat hyperlipidemia.