SynthesisBMC complementary and alternative medicine2008
A systematic review of the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture for allergic rhinitis.
Synthesis in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Acupuncture for allergic rhinitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of medical research · 2022Pooled it
- A randomised multicentre trial of acupuncture in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis--trial intervention including physician and treatment characteristics.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2014Trial
- Acupuncture for persistent allergic rhinitis: a multi-centre, randomised, controlled trial protocol.Trials · 2009Trial
- A Bibliometric Analysis of Chinese Medicine for Allergic Rhinitis.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2025Review
- The Effect of Acupuncture along with Conventional Therapies on the Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis: A Clinical Trial.Advanced biomedical research · 2025Article
- Turkish Guideline for Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis (ART).Turkish archives of otorhinolaryngology · 2021Article
- Article
- International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Allergic Rhinitis.International forum of allergy & rhinology · 2018Article
- Acupuncture for moderate to severe allergic rhinitis: A non-randomized controlled trial.Chinese journal of integrative medicine · 2016Article
- Effects of low level laser therapy on ovalbumin-induced mouse model of allergic rhinitis.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2013Article
- The anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture and their relevance to allergic rhinitis: a narrative review and proposed model.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2013Article
- Acupuncture treatment of a patient with persistent allergic rhinitis complicated by rhinosinusitis and asthma.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2011Article
- Common respiratory diseases.Primary care · 2010Review
- Acupuncture in allergic rhinitis: A Mini-Review.Allergo journal internationalReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAllergies cause a considerable burden to both sufferers and the National Health Service. There is growing interest in acupuncture as a treatment for a range of conditions. Since acupuncture may modulate the immune system it could be a useful treatment for allergic rhinitis (AR) sufferers. We therefore assessed the evidence for the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with AR by performing a systematic review of the literature.
methodsSearches (to 2007) were conducted in all major databases for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of AR. No limits were placed on language. Studies were included if they compared acupuncture to a sham or inactive acupuncture treatment (placebo) with or without standard care. Meta-analysis was performed where feasible.
resultsSeven relevant RCTs were included after screening and application of inclusion and exclusion criteria. The trials were generally of poor quality as assessed by a modified Jadad scale, with the exception of two studies which scored highly. A wide variety of outcomes was measured but most assessed symptom severity on a visual analogue scale. A meta-analysis failed to show any summary benefits of acupuncture treatment for symptom severity scores or serum IgE measures which could not have been accounted for by chance alone. Acupuncture was not associated with any additional adverse events in the trials.
conclusionThere is currently insufficient evidence to support or refute the use of acupuncture in patients with AR. A large well conducted RCT, which overcomes identified methodological problems in the existing RCTs, would be required to resolve this question.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.