Effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of allergic rhinitis

Abstract

Topic Overview: Allergic Rhinitis (AR) is a common allergic disease that many individuals are affected from, this disease factors as a burden to one’s quality of life. To relive symptoms of AR, treatment is required, in this dissertation, the effect of acupuncture to treat allergic rhinitis will be studied. Research Question: Is acupuncture effective for the treatment of Allergic Rhinitis? PICO Elements: The population comprised individuals who suffer from AR. The intervention analyzed was acupuncture as a treatment option for AR. The comparison intervention was no acupuncture (usual care, additional care, not acupuncture). The expected outcome was the treatment of AR. Methods: Search terms were identified and combined with limiters as well as search tools to create search strategies for the databases used. EBSCO and PubMed were used to search for the studies. Results: The key studies consisted of two systematic reviews, three RCTs and one Nonrandomized controlled trial. Results from these studies indicated that acupuncture can be a safe and effective option for the treatment of Allergic Rhinitis. The PRISMA framework was used in order to screen articles. In order to guide the selection of the key studies, inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied throughout the search. Studies eligible for inclusion were Randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trial, systematic reviews, and metaanalysis, with reports being written in English and published after the year 2010. With CASP tool, ROBINS-I (The Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies-of interventions) assessment tool and AMSTAR being used to guide the appraisal process. Conclusion: While a conclusion was made that acupuncture is a safe and effective method for treatment of AR, a definite conclusion cannot be made as the long-term effect were not provided which leads to the need for further research to answer the PICO question. Implications and Recommendations: Recommendations for further research include the usage of larger sample size, extended follow-up duration and conducting trials in European countries. While also conducting research on the financial aspect of acupuncture for AR. Implementations of education and avoidance needs to be made in regard to allergic rhinitis.