Trial reportBMC complementary medicine and therapies2021
Effect of acupuncture treatment in patients with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis: a randomized, participant- and assessor-blind sham-controlled trial.
Trial report in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06492902 (Efficacy of Adding Auricular Acupuncture to Xiao-Feng-San for Treating Atopic Dermatitis Exhibiting Wind-Dampness-Heat Manifestations According to Traditional Medicine), which is not on this map. Cited by 15 papers, 3 of them syntheses 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.
Efficacy of Adding Auricular Acupuncture to Xiao-Feng-San for Treating Atopic Dermatitis Exhibiting Wind-Dampness-Heat Manifestations According to Traditional Medicine: A Multi-Center, Double-Blinded, Randomized, Sham-Controlled Trial
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- The blinding status and characteristics in acupuncture clinical trials: a systematic reviews and meta-analysis.Systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Efficacy of Acupuncture for Treatment of Atopic Eczema and Chronic Eczema: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Acta dermato-venereologica · 2022Pooled it
- Gut microbiota contributes to the therapeutic effect of acupuncture in atopic dermatitis.Microbiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Effect of biodegradable microneedle acupuncture for symptom relief moderate or milder atopic dermatitis: a study protocol for a multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled trial.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2026Article
- Acupuncture for nummular eczema of the lower legs in an older adult: a case report.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Effect of Biodegradable Microneedle Acupuncture in Mild to Moderate Atopic Dermatitis: a single-blinded randomized controlled pilot trial.Journal of pharmacopuncture · 2025Article
- The Efficacy of Complementary and Alternative Medicines in Medical Dermatology: A Comprehensive Review.The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology · 2025Review
- A Review of Acupuncture for Allergic Disorders: Modulation of Mast Cell Regulation via Inflammatory Pathway Suppression and Cytokine Balance.International journal of general medicine · 2025Review
- Observational
- Current and Emerging Therapies in Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis.Dermatology and therapy · 2022Review
- Acupuncture attenuates comorbid anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors of atopic dermatitis through modulating neuroadaptation in the brain reward circuit in mice.Biological research · 2022Article
- Exploring the Differences in the Gut Microbiome in Atopic Dermatitis According to the Presence of Gastrointestinal Symptoms.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
- Acupuncture for the Treatment of Itch: Peripheral and Central Mechanisms.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2021Review
- Effect of Acupuncture on Gut-Brain Axis Parameters in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis: A Study Protocol for a Randomized, Participant- and Assessor-Blind, Sham-Controlled Trial.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAtopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic recurrent inflammatory skin disease that affects 1-3% of adults worldwide. Currently, it is not possible to completely cure AD; therefore, alternative treatments need to be developed to meet the patients' needs. Here, based on our previous pilot study, we conducted the first confirmatory randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of acupuncture in patients with mild to moderate AD.
methodsA randomized, participant- and assessor-blinded, sham-controlled trial was designed with an intervention period twice-weekly for 4 weeks and a 4-week follow-up. We equally allocated 36 participants to the verum acupuncture (VA) and sham acupuncture (SA) groups. The main outcome measure was the change in SCORing Atopic Dermatitis index (SCORAD) score before and after treatment.
resultsA total of 36 participants, aged 19 to 38 years, were enrolled, and 35 were included in the intention-to-treat analyses. The mean change in total SCORAD score differed significantly among the two groups at 4 weeks after randomization (P < .0001): the mean difference was - 11.83 (7.05) in the VA group and 0.45 (7.77) in the SA group. The mean SCORAD score substantially decreased 2-weeks after starting the acupuncture treatment and continued to improve for at least 4 weeks after the end of the treatment in the VA group compared to the SA group (each P < .0001). No serious adverse events were observed.
conclusionsTwice-weekly acupuncture treatment was effective in reducing AD symptoms in patients with mild to moderate AD without serious adverse events.
trial registrationClinical Research Information Service Identifier: KCT0002796 .
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.