Table 1 Characteristics of studies
From: Acupuncture for allergic rhinitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Source | Country | Participants | Trial duration | Intervention | Size | Control | Size | Trial size | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ortiz 2014 | Germany | SAR; 16–45 years old | Treatment duration: 8 weeks; follow-up: 52 weeks | Manual acupuncture + cetirizine; 12 sessions over 8 weeks | 212 | Control 1: sham acupuncture + cetirizine: sham acupuncture treatment entailed superficially inserting fine needles (≤ 20 mm in length) at predefined, distant non-acupuncture points bilaterally; acupuncture points were the same with real acupuncture group; 12 sessions over 8 weeks; control 2: cetirizine dihydrochloride | 102/108 | 422 | RQLQ; RMS; QoL (SF-36); |
Brinkhaus 2008 | Germany | Seasonal and/or perennial AR; ≥ 18 years old | Treatment duration:3 months; follow-up: 6 months | Acupuncture: the number of needles and the acupuncture points used were chosen at the physicians’ discretion; 15 times 3 months | 487 | No acupuncture on the wait-list | 494 | 981 | RQLQ; QoL (SF-36); clinical improvement; adverse events |
Chen 2015 | China | Moderate-to-severe AR; 22–60 years old | Treatment duration: 8 weeks; follow-up: 3 months | Manual acupuncture; three times a week | 34 | Cetirizine hydrochloride; 10 mg per day | 32 | 66 | Clinical improvement; TNSS; adverse events |
Choi 2012 | Korea and China | Moderate to severe PAR; > 18 years old | Treatment duration: 4 weeks; follow-up: 9 weeks | Manual acupuncture; three times per week | 97 | Control 1: Sham acupuncture: needles were inserted at non-acupuncture points that were 1–1.5 cm away from the acupuncture sites. The needles were inserted to a depth of 3–5 mm using a shallow needling technique; three times per week; control 2: waiting list | 94/47 | 238 | TNSS; TNNSS; RQLQ |
Ng 2004 | Hong Kong | Persistent AR; children; 11.7 ± 3.2 years old | Treatment duration: 8 weeks; follow-up: not reported | Manual acupuncture; twice per week | 35 | Sham acupuncture: the needle was inserted to a depth of only 0.3 cm; twice per week | 37 | 72 | Clinical improvement; serum immunological indicators; medication score; daily relief; adverse events |
Hauswald 2014 | German | PER; age: mean 28.1Â years old, sd 9.9Â years | Treatment duration: 6Â weeks; follow-up: 16Â weeks | Acupuncture; twice per week | 15 | Loratadine: 10Â mg/d; treatment duration: 21Â days | 9 | 24 | Allergic parameters; interleukin profiles |
Huang 2012 | China | AR; 16–65 years old | Treatment duration: 30 days; follow-up: not reported | Acupuncture; once a day | 40 | Loratadine; 10 mg/d | 36 | 76 | Clinical improvement; adverse events |
Li 2003 | China | AR; 7–65 years old | Treatment duration: 30 days; follow-up: not reported | Acupuncture; once a day | 63 | Cetirizine; 10 mg/time, three times a day | 35 | 98 | Clinical improvement |
Li 2007 | China | AR; 5–68 years old | Treatment duration:1 month; follow-up: not reported | Acupuncture + electroacupuncture; once per day | 50 | Cetirizine: 10 mg/d; three times a day | 50 | 100 | Clinical improvement; serum immunological indicators |
Li 2013 | China | Moderate to severe AR; 18–70 years old | Treatment duration: 30 days; follow-up: 6 months | Acupuncture + warm needling; once per day | 62 | Terfenadine tablets; 60 mg/time; 2 times per day, oral taken | 62 | 124 | Clinical improvement |
Li 2015 | China | AR; 18–63 years old | Treatment duration: 20 days; follow-up: not reported | Loratadine + acupuncture | 50 | Loratadine: 10 mg/d | 50 | 100 | Clinical improvement |
Magnusson 2004 | Sweden | SAR; age: 18–50 years old | Treatment duration: 12 treatments; follow-up: not stated | Manual acupuncture | 18 | Sham acupuncture: needles were placed subcutaneously, 1 or 2 cm away from the true acupuncture point, no deqi was elicited | 14 | 32 | IgE |
McDonald 2016 | Australia | Moderate to severe AR; 18–45 years old | Treatment duration:8 weeks; follow-up: 4 weeks | Manual acupuncture; twice weekly | 49 | Control 1: sham acupuncture, to a depth of 5 to 10 mm and 10 to 15 mm, respectively; twice weekly; control 2: no acupuncture | 52/50 | 151 | Serum immunological indicators; iTNSS; mini-RQLQ; adverse events |
Ni 2006 | China | AR; 9–58 years old | Treatment duration: 1 week; follow-up: not reported | Acupuncture; once a day | 195 | Tranilast capsules; 0.2 g/time, three times a week | 191 | 386 | Clinical improvement |
Ou 2014 | China | AR; 9–55 years old | Treatment duration: 20 days; follow-up: not reported | Acupuncture; once a day | 33 | Desloratadine dispersible tablets; 5 mg/d | 33 | 66 | Clinical improvement |
Rao 2006 | China | AR; 20–66 years old | Treatment duration: 28 days; follow-up: 6 months | Acupuncture; once a day | 50 | Control 1: ear acupoint; 3 to 5 times per day; control 2: cetirizine 10 mg/d | 50/50 | 150 | Clinical improvement; serum immunological indicators |
Shi 2013 | China | Moderate to severe persistent AR; 18–60 years old | Treatment duration: 4 weeks; follow-up: not reported | Acupuncture electroacupuncture; three times a week | 20 | Cetirizine hydrochloride; 10 mg/d | 16 | 36 | TNSS |
Wang 2013 | China | Moderate to severe persistent AR; 19–58 years old | Treatment duration: 4 weeks; follow-up: not reported | Acupuncture + electroacupuncture; three times a week | 30 | Cetirizine: 10 mg/d | 30 | 60 | TNSS; adverse events |
Wang 2013a | China | AR; 18–60 years old | Treatment duration:4 weeks; follow-up: 3 month | Acupuncture electroacupuncture; three times a week | 41 | Loratadine: 10 mg/d | 40 | 81 | Clinical improvement; adverse events |
Wang 2014 | China | moderate to severe AR plus persistent allergic rhinitis; 18–60 years old | Treatment duration: 4 weeks; follow-up: 4 weeks | Acupuncture; three times a week | 120 | Cetirizine hydrochloride; 10 mg/d | 120 | 240 | – |
Wang 2015 | China | AR; 13–45 years old | Treatment duration: 1 month; follow-up: not reported | Acupuncture; once per day | 30 | Loratadine: 10 mg/d | 30 | 60 | Clinical improvement |
Wang 2016 | China | AR; 23–70 years old | Treatment duration: 2 weeks; follow-up: not reported | Acupuncture + moxibustion; once per day | 30 | Loratadine: 10 mg/d | 30 | 60 | Clinical improvement |
Xie 2013 | China | AR; 20–65 years old | Treatment duration: 1 month; follow-up: not reported | Acupuncture; once per day | 30 | Loratadine: 10 mg/d | 30 | 60 | Clinical improvement |
Xie 2015 | China | AR; 18–60 years old | Treatment duration:60 days; follow-up: not reported | Sanfu tian warming needle moxibustion; 30 times per year | 80 | Control 1: not Sanfu tian warming needle moxibustion; 30 times per year; control 2: cetirizine 10 mg/d | 80/80 | 240 | Clinical improvement; serum immunological indicators; RQLQ |
Xue 2002 | Australia | Seasonal AR; 18–70 years old | Treatment duration: 4 weeks; follow-up: 4 weeks | Manual acupuncture: 10–40 mm in depth; three times per week | 17 | Sham acupuncture: 0.26 mm in diameter and 15 mm in length, 1.5 cm lateral to the related points; three times per week | 13 | 30 | FPS symptom; RMS; adverse events |
Xue 2007 | China | AR; 16–70 years old | Treatment duration:8 weeks; follow-up: 12 weeks | Real (manual) acupuncture depth of 10–30 mm transversely, obliquely or perpendicularly; twice per week | 42 | Sham acupuncture: the insertion sites were 1–1.5 cm from the acupoints; twice weekly | 38 | 80 | TNNS; adverse events |
Xue 2015 | Australia | SAR; 16–70 years old | Treatment duration: 4 weeks; follow-up: 8 weeks | Manual acupuncture; three times per week | 88 | Sham acupuncture: the points that were needled were located on non-acupoints area beside the real acupoints; three times per week | 87 | 175 | Symptom severity; RQLQ; global change |
Miao 2015 | China | AR; 7–65 years old | Treatment duration: 4 weeks; follow-up: 12 months | Acupuncture; six times a week | 14 | Loratadine:10 mg/d | 12 | 26 | Clinical improvement; recurrence rate |
Zhao 2012 | China | AR; 15–74 years old | Treatment duration:4 weeks; follow-up: not reported | Ebastine + acupuncture; once per week | 52 | Ebastine: 10 mg/d | 49 | 101 | Clinical improvement; serum immunological indicators |
Zhu 2014 | China | AR; 18–46 years old | Treatment duration: 2 weeks; follow-up: not reported | Acupuncture + electroacupuncture + antihistamine or glucocorticoid; once per day | 39 | Antihistamine or glucocorticoid | 39 | 78 | Clinical improvement; adverse events |