Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2005; 10: 09
The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in addition to routine care in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) compared to treatment with routine care alone.
In a randomised controlled study with an additional cohort, patients ≥ 18 years with AR were randomly allocated to a group receiving up to 15 acupuncture sessions over 3 months (ACU) or to a control group (CON) receiving no acupuncture. Patients not consenting to randomisation received acupuncture treatment (NR-ACU). Additionally, patients were allowed to receive usual medical care. In standardised questionnaires rhinitis-specific quality of life (RQLQ) and health-related general quality of life (SF-36) were assessed at baseline and after 3 months.
A total of 5237 patients (39 ± 12 years, 62% female; ACU 487, CON 494, NR-ACU 4.256) were included in the study; 981 patients were randomised. At 3 months, the improvement in RQLQ was more pronounced in the ACU group than in the CON group (RQLQ from 3.1 ± 1.1 to 1.5 ± 1.2 and from 3.1 ± 1.1 to 2.6 ± 1.5, P < 0.001). Similarly, the SF-36 improved more in the ACU compared to the CON (mental component scale from 41.6 ± 8.3 to 44.0 ± 7.8 and from 42.2 ± 8.1 to 41.9 ± 8.5, P < 0.001; physical component scale 49.0 ± 8.9 to 51.9 ± 7.3 and from 49.4 ± 8.5 to 48.5 ± 8.8, P < 0.001). After receiving acupuncture the NR-ACU group showed similar results to the ACU group.
Treatment with acupuncture in addition to routine care in AR patients was associated with a significant improvement of disease-specific and general quality of life compared to treatment with routine care alone.
