title: Characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine use for children with allergic rhinitis: a nationwide population-based study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common allergic disorder in children, some of whom seek complementary treatments, including acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Little, however, is known about the treatment of pediatric AR with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). To characterize TCM use in pediatric AR, we conducted a nationwide population-based study.
  
  
  METHODS
  We screened one million randomly sampled beneficiaries of the National Health Insurance Program in Taiwan from 2002 to 2010 to identify children <18 years of age with newly diagnosed allergic rhinitis (ICD-9 code 477.9). The subjects were categorized according to their use of TCM.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 97,401 children newly diagnosed with AR for inclusion in the study. Among these children, 63.11% (N=61,472) had used TCM. There were significantly more TCM users than non-users among school-age children and adolescents (P<0.001). Most (99.1%) pediatric TCM users received Chinese herbal remedies (99.1%); only 0.9% received acupuncture or manipulative therapies. Xin-Yi-Qing-Fei-Tang (Magnolia Flower Lung-Clearing Decoction) was the most frequently prescribed TCM formulation (23.44%), and the most commonly prescribed single herb was Chan-Tui (Periostracum cicadae; 13.78%). Regarding syndrome differentiation (ZHENG) according to TCM theory, prescriptions for the Cold Syndrome exceeded those for the Hot Syndrome throughout the year in Taiwan.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that approximately two-thirds of pediatric AR patients were prescribed TCM treatments in Taiwan. Further research is warranted to examine the efficacy and safety of TCM for pediatric AR patients.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, 2 Yude Rd, North District, Taichung 404, Taiwan; Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, 2 Yude Rd, North District, Taichung 404, Taiwan; Research Center for Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture, China Medical University, 91 Hsueh-Shih Road, North District, Taichung 404, Taiwan; School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, 91 Hsueh-Shih Road, North District, Taichung 404, Taiwan. Electronic address: hungrongyen@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hung-Rong
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, 1650 Taiwan Boulevard Sect. 4, Taichung 407, Taiwan; Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming Medical University, 155, Sec. 2, Linong Street, Taipei 112, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, 110, Sec. 1, Jianguo N. Road, Taichung 402, Taiwan. Electronic address: kelly1107@vghtc.gov.tw.
authors.forename: Kai-Li
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, 2 Yude Rd, North District, Taichung 404, Taiwan. Electronic address: vialactea713@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Tzu-Ping
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, 2 Yude Rd, North District, Taichung 404, Taiwan; Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, 2 Yude Rd, North District, Taichung 404, Taiwan. Electronic address: puff620@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ji-Yu
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, 2 Yude Rd, North District, Taichung 404, Taiwan; School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, 91 Hsueh-Shih Road, North District, Taichung 404, Taiwan; School of Post-baccalaureate Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, 91 Hsueh-Shih Road, North District, Taichung 404, Taiwan. Electronic address: tchang0604@yahoo.com.tw.
authors.forename: Tung-Ti
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, 2 Yude Rd, North District, Taichung 404, Taiwan; Research Center for Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture, China Medical University, 91 Hsueh-Shih Road, North District, Taichung 404, Taiwan; School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, 91 Hsueh-Shih Road, North District, Taichung 404, Taiwan. Electronic address: maofeng@mail.cmuh.org.tw.
authors.forename: Mao-Feng
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D026201:Musculoskeletal Manipulations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009313:National Health Programs; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal
keywords: Acupuncture; Allergic rhinitis; Complementary and alternative medicine; Pediatrics; Traditional Chinese medicine