title: [Efficacy of acupuncture on moderate and severe allergic rhinitis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy on moderate and severe allergic rhinitis via the comparison evaluation of western medicine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty cases of moderate and severe allergic rhinitis were divided into an acupuncture group (30 cases) and a western medicine group (30 cases). In the acupuncture group, the main acupoints included Yingxiang (LI 20), Shangxing (GV 23), Fengchi (GB 20), Quchi (LI 11), Xuehai (SP 10), Feishu (BL 13), Geshu (BL 17), Pishu (BL 20), etc. The supplementary points were selected according to syndrome differentiation. In the western medicine group, budesonide nasal spray and cetirizine tablets were prescribed. All the cases were treated for 8 weeks in the two groups. Separately, before treatment, in 4 weeks and 8 weeks of treatment, the scores of clinical symptoms and physical signs were observed and the clinical efficacy and safety were compared between the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 4 weeks and 8 weeks of treatment, the scores of symptoms such as sneezing, nasal discharge, nasal obstruction, nasal itching, eye itching and turbinate hypertrophy, the score of physical signs and total score were all reduced apparently as compared with those before treatment (all P<0. 05). The differences were not significant between the acupuncture group and the western medicine group (all P>0. 05). The total effective rates were 90. 0% (27/30) and 93. 4% (28/30) in the acupuncture group after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment, and were 76. 6% (23/30) and 80. 0% (24/30) in the western medicine group separately, without significant difference in comparison (all P>0. 05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acupuncture achieves the similar efficacy on moderate and severe allergic rhinitis as western medicine. It is the safe therapy and has no apparent adverse reactions.
authors.forename: Yidan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiaoqing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Maihong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Huaping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Shuping
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jianfang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Minda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012912:Sneezing; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult