Acupuncture beneficial during allergy season, study finds

By Naveed Saleh, MD, MS
Published May 21, 2018

Key Takeaways

Eight weeks of acupuncture during allergy season decreases the number of days of antihistamine use in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR), according to a new study published in Acupuncture in Medicine. Furthermore, acupuncture ameliorates quality of life and alleviates SAR symptoms in these patients.

The study was a secondary analysis of the ACUSAR (ACUpuncture in Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis) Trial, a multicenter study conducted by the same research group in Germany from March 2008 and May 2009.

“In contrast to previous analyses of the ACUSAR Trial, we focused on the duration and not on the amount of medication used,” wrote primary author Daniela Adam, MA, Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. “It was important for us to investigate the time dimension because antihistamines can have a negative influence on patients’ daily life and activities due to side effects.”

The ACUSAR study was a three-armed randomized controlled trial that compared acupuncture plus rescue medications (RM) with sham acupuncture plus RM and a group that received only RM.

Patients in this study ranged in age from 16 to 45 years, and had been diagnosed with moderate to severe SAR for at least 2 years. Exclusion criteria included perennial allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, autoimmune disorders, previous history of anaphylactic reactions, and cetirizine hypersensitivity.

The study commenced at the beginning of pollen season and after the appearance of the patient’s first SAR symptom. The researchers assigned patients in a 2:1:1 ratio to one of three arms: acupuncture, sham acupuncture, and RM. In total, 422 participants were enrolled in one of the three treatment arms, and data from 414 patients were analyzed.

Physicians trained in acupuncture administered either 12 semistandard acupuncture sessions or 12 sham treatments during the first 8 weeks of the study. Patients in the RM group received no acupuncture during the first 8 weeks.

“Afterwards,” wrote the researchers, “all groups received the other treatment option (weeks 8 to 16): the RM group received 12 acupuncture sessions, and the other two groups were followed-up without further interventions, but they could use RM.”

Participants in the study could consume up to 20 mg of second-generation antihistamines each day and were strongly advised to take cetirizine, which was provided by the researchers.

Using self-reported questionnaires, the team assessed the use of any SAR-related medication at baseline, week 8, and week 16.

The researchers observed that patients receiving acupuncture used significantly less RM when compared with other groups. Specifically, in the acupuncture vs sham group, a mean difference of –4.49 days (P=0.01) was noted; the difference was –9.15 days (P < 0.001) in the acupuncture vs RM group.

“The results of the sex-specific subgroup analysis for the intervention period were comparable to the results of the main analysis,” according to the authors.

In addition, 38% of patients receiving acupuncture did not use antihistamines at all, compared with 16% in the RM group. Furthermore, acupuncture patients did not have to increase days of antihistamine use to address symptoms, as participants in other groups did.

One limitation of this study is that the researchers were unable to ascertain conclusions between weeks 8 and 16, in part because pollen season was ending.

“When the positive effects of acupuncture on symptoms and disease-specific quality of life are taken into account,” concluded the authors, “it can be considered a valuable, additional treatment option for SAR patients with the potential to reduce medication-related side effects.”

To read more about this study, click here

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