Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Trials
Published in: Trials 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Acupuncture | Study protocol

Impact of acupuncture for allergic rhinitis on the activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Authors: Sheng Chen, Shu-Han Qu, Yi Zhang, Zhi-Hong Wen, Sheng-Nan Guo, Wei-Mei Zeng, Xue-Si Hou, Yi-Fan Jia, Yi Xiao, Federico Marmori, Jun Wang, Ji-Ping Zhao

Published in: Trials | Issue 1/2019

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Patients with moderate and severe persistent allergic rhinitis (AR) have long-term physical and mental stress, leading to dysfunction of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which results in recurrence of AR. Previous research has proved acupuncture can regulate the function of the neuron-endocrine-immune system and contribute to improving the quality of life of patients with AR. This research aims to investigate the mechanism of acupuncture on the HPA axis in patients with moderate or severe persistent AR.

Methods/design

This randomized controlled trial aims to study the impact of acupuncture on the HPA axis of patients with moderate and severe AR. This research also aims to compare the curative effects of different treatments in three groups of patients: those receiving western medicine, western medicine and conventional acupuncture, or western medicine and mind-regulating acupuncture. We will study the therapeutic effect of acupuncture and the correlation between the changes of therapeutic indexes and experimental indexes after the treatments. Therapeutic indexes include the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of nasal symptoms and the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) for AR patients; experimental indexes include corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), adreno-corticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol (CORT), interleukin 4 (IL-4), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ).

Discussion

The results of this trial will provide evidence for the influence of chronic, long-term, repeated stimulation in patients with moderate and severe persistent AR and the impact of acupuncture on the HPA axis of these patients.

Trial registration

Acupuncture-Moxibustion Clinical Trial Registry, AMCTR-IOR-16000009. Registered on 22 August 2016.
Literature
1.
Craig TJ, Sherkat A, Safaee S. Congestion and sleep impairment in allergic rhinitis. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2010;10(2):113–21.CrossRef
2.
Chen S, Guo SN, Zhang Y, Nan YN, Zhao JP. Research progress on the relationship between physical symptoms and psychological disorders in patients with allergic rhinitis. J Emerg Tradit Chin Med. 2014;23(2):308–11.
3.
El HDD, Ahmed MR, Farid AM. Psychological stress and its relationship with persistent allergic rhinitis. European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology. 2016;273(4):899–904.
4.
Wang HX, Yang SM. Can not ignore the allergic rhinitis patients with mental and behavioral disorders. Natl Med J Chin. 2015;95(9):709–11.
5.
Xi L, Han DM, Lv XF, Zhang L. Psychological characteristics in patients with allergic rhinitis and its associated factors analysis. Chin J Otorhinolaryngology Head Neck Surg. 2009;44(12):982–5.
6.
Chen S, Wang J, Bai P, Zhao Q, Tan C, Wang BK, et al. Moderate and severe persistent allergic rhinitis treated with acupuncture: a randomized controlled trial. Chin Acupunct Moxibustion. 2015;35(12):1209–13.
7.
Ding SS, Hong SH, Wang C, Guo Y, Wang ZK, Xu Y. Acupuncture modulates the neuro–endocrine–immune network. QJM. 2014;107(5):341–5.CrossRef
8.
Chen B, Ming-Yue LI, Dind SS, et al. Research progress on regulations on nerve-endocrine-immune network by acupuncture. World J Acupunct Moxibustion. 2014;24(4):49,58–53,58.CrossRef
9.
Marshall GD Jr, Agarwal SK. Stress, immune regulation, and immunity: applications for asthma. Allergy Asthma Proc. 2000;17(21):241–6.CrossRef
10.
Faravelli C, Lo SC, Lelli L, et al. The role of life events and HPA axis in anxiety disorders: a review. Curr Pharm Des. 2012;18(35):5663.CrossRef
11.
Brożek JL, Bousquet J, Baena-Cagnani CE, et al. Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) guidelines: 2010 revision. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010;126(3):466–76.CrossRef
12.
General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China, Standardization administration of the People's Republic of China. People's Republic of China the state standard the name and location of acupoints (GB 12346–2006). Beijing: Standards Press of China. 2006;8–34.
13.
Bousquet J, Khaltaev N, Cruz AA, et al. Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) 2008. Allergy. 2008;63(63):8–160.CrossRef
14.
Bousquet PJ, Combescure C, Neukirch F, et al. Visual analog scales can assess the severity of rhinitis graded according to ARIA guidelines. Allergy. 2007;62(4):367.CrossRef
15.
Juniper EF, Guyatt GH. Development and testing of a new measure of health status for clinical trials in rhinoconjunctivitis. Clin Exp Allergy. 1991;21(1):77–83.CrossRef
16.
Valovirta E, Ryan D. Patient adherence to allergic rhinitis treatment: results from patient surveys. Medscape J Med. 2008;10(10):247.PubMedPubMedCentral
17.
Chida Y, Hamer M, Steptoe A. A bidirectional relationship between psychosocial factors and atopic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychosom Med. 2008;70(1):102–16.CrossRef
18.
Montoro J, Mullol J, Jáuregui I, et al. Stress and allergy. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2009;19((Suppl 1):40–7.PubMed
19.
Xu WG, Li MH. The relationship between allergic rhinitis and asthma. Chin J Clin. 2014;42(12):5–6.
20.
Deng M, Zhang WN. Clinical research of Gubendingchuan decoction intervening NEI net unbalance of patients with bronchial asthma. J Emerg Tradit Chin Med. 2014;23(11):2014–6.
21.
Kalogeromitros D, Syrigou EK, Makris M, et al. Nasal provocation of patients with allergic rhinitis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2007;98(3):269–73.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Impact of acupuncture for allergic rhinitis on the activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors
Sheng Chen
Shu-Han Qu
Yi Zhang
Zhi-Hong Wen
Sheng-Nan Guo
Wei-Mei Zeng
Xue-Si Hou
Yi-Fan Jia
Yi Xiao
Federico Marmori
Jun Wang
Ji-Ping Zhao
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Trials / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 1745-6215
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-019-3424-2

Other articles of this Issue 1/2019

Trials 1/2019 Go to the issue

Study protocol

Effects of electroacupuncture combined with computer-based cognitive rehabilitation on mild cognitive impairment: study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial

Study protocol

Evaluation of the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation in the treatment of cognitive symptomatology in the early stages of psychosis: study protocol for a double-blind randomized controlled trial

Study protocol

Liraglutide and the management of overweight and obesity in people with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and first-episode psychosis: protocol for a pilot trial

Study protocol

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Improving clinicians’ diagnostic and communication Skills on Antibiotic prescribing Appropriateness in patients with acute Cough in primary care in CATalonia (the ISAAC-CAT study): study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial

Study protocol

Intravenous immunoglobulin and rituximab versus placebo treatment of antibody-associated psychosis: study protocol of a randomised phase IIa double-blinded placebo-controlled trial (SINAPPS2)

Study protocol

Guiding Hypertension Management Using Different Blood Pressure Monitoring Strategies (GYMNs study): comparison of three different blood pressure measurement methods: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial