STUDY PROTOCOL article
Front. Allergy
Sec. Rhinology
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/falgy.2025.1600032
Clinical Efficacy on acupuncture for Perennial Allergic Rhinitis:A Study Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial
Provisionally accepted
- 1Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- 2Shanghai Literature Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- 3Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
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Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a prevalent allergic disorder. Acupuncture has been widely utilized to alleviate allergic symptoms, and numerous studies have investigated its therapeutic effects on AR. However, due to the challenges associated with establishing appropriate placebo controls, few studies have directly compared acupuncture with sham acupuncture for AR treatment. This trial investigates the comparative effectiveness and tolerability of acupuncture versus placebo needling for allergic rhinitis patients. Methods: This clinical trial features a stratified randomization scheme with 1:1 allocation, single-blind assessment, and a total sample size of 84 participants. After screening for inclusion, qualified subjects with perennial allergic rhinitis will be randomly allocated to treatment group(accepting acupuncture ,n=42) or control group (accepting sham acupuncture ,n=42) .The intervention will last over a 4-week period. The main efficacy outcome is the change in main symptom severity assessed by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) after each week of treatment. Secondary outcomes include the Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS), Efficacy Index (%) after each treatment session, time to onset of effect, Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) scores after each week of treatment, and the additional use rate of anti-allergic medications.The findings of this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in treating perennial allergic rhinitis through comprehensive assessment of symptom relief, time-effect relationships, quality of life improvements, and reduction in anti-allergic medication use Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2400086227 ).
Keywords: Acupuncture, allergic rhinitis, Sham acupuncture, efficacy, Life quality
Received: 25 Mar 2025; Accepted: 26 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Ming, Chen and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yue-Lai Chen, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.