Acupuncture Combined With Sphenopalatine Ganglion Needling for Allergic Rhinitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

作者：Shanshan Liu, Yan Shen, Xin Meng, Xinlei Huang, Yang Chen, Siyao Zhang, Chun-Li Zeng, Xiaoxiao Wang, Yongjun Peng · 发表于：International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1002/alr.70085 · 被引用次数：3 · 研究领域：Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies、Allergic Rhinitis and Sensitization、Nasal Surgery and Airway Studies

BACKGROUND: Although the therapeutic effects of acupuncture and sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) needling for allergic rhinitis (AR) are well established, evidence for the efficacy of their combination remains limited. METHODS: In this multicenter, randomized, parallel-controlled trial, 260 patients with persistent moderate-to-severe AR were assigned to 8 weeks of pharmacotherapy (MED; loratadine 10 mg/day), acupuncture (ACU; 3 sessions/week), sphenopalatine ganglion needling (SPG-N; 1 session/week), or combination therapy (COM, which received both acupuncture and SPG needling). The primary outcome was the response rate (≥30% reduction in total nasal symptom score [TNSS]) at Week 8. Secondary outcomes included changes in TNSS, total non-nasal symptom score (TNNSS), rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ), and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores from baseline to Weeks 2, 4, 8, and the 4-week follow-up. RESULTS: At Week 8, response rates differed significantly among groups (COM: 82.54%; ACU: 71.43%; SPG-N: 55.74%; MED: 45.31%; p < 0.001) and were sustained at the 4-week follow-up. The COM showed the earliest significant improvement at Week 2 (63.49%, p < 0.001). Compared to MED, both COM (relative risk [RR] = 1.90, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.40-2.58; p < 0.001) and ACU (RR = 1.61, 95% CI, 1.18-2.21; p = 0.003) were associated with significantly higher response rates at Week 8, whereas SPG-N was not (RR = 1.27, 95% CI, 0.90-1.79; p = 0.17). CONCLUSION: This stu...