Abstract
BackgroundAllergic rhinitis (AR) is a common disease. No evidence is available for the clinical application of acupuncture and moxibustion for the management of AR symptoms in Hong Kong. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture with or without herbal moxibustion on relieving AR symptoms in the Hong Kong population.MethodsA single-centre, randomized, assessor-blinded, controlled trial with three parallel arms (acupuncture alone, acupuncture combined with herbal moxibustion treatment and waitlist) was designed. Groups with acupuncture treatment received treatment 3 times per week for a total of 12 sessions in 4 weeks. Acupuncture combined with herbal moxibustion treatment group received herbal moxibustion once per week for a total of 4 sessions over 4 weeks in addition to acupuncture treatment. Participants in the waitlist group received no treatment. All patients received advice on healthy lifestyle, diet, and exercise.ResultsNinety-six subjects were recruited and allocated randomly (1:1:1) into three study groups. Compared to the waitlist group, both treatment groups demonstrated statistically significant decreases in TNSS and RQLQ at the end of treatment as well as after follow-up period (all P < 0.01). However, there was no statistically differences between these two treatment groups. There was no difference in the change of total IgE levels among study groups before or after the treatment. Only one patient reported adverse effects with herbal moxibustion treatment, and no adverse effects were found in others.ConclusionsThis study supports that acupuncture could help relieve AR symptoms, but no evidence on additional treatment effect of herbal moxibustion was found.Trial registration ChiCTR-INR-16010047 registered on November 25, 2016.
Highlights
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common disease
Between December 2016 and August 2017, 541 patients with AR symptoms were contacted by telephone, 225 were assessed for eligibility, and 96 patients with 32 in each group were enrolled in the study (Fig. 1)
Ten patients were lost to follow-up (4 in acupuncture and herbal moxibustion group, 2 in acupuncture group, and 4 in waiting list group)
Summary
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common disease. No evidence is available for the clinical application of acupuncture and moxibustion for the management of AR symptoms in Hong Kong. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture with or without herbal moxibustion on relieving AR symptoms in the Hong Kong population. It was estimated that 10–20% of the world’s population has allergic rhinitis, and the number of patients is increasing [3]. Current prevention and treatment approaches for AR include allergen prevention, medication, immunisation, and surgical treatment if necessary [7]. Used medications for mitigating AR symptoms include corticosteroids, antihistamines, mast cell stabilizer, anticholinergics, and nasal decongestant drugs [8]. There is an urgent need to identify an effective treatment for AR with low relapse rate and few side effects
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