Participants
sinusitis, congenital nasal abnormalities, rhinorrhea, liver or kidney dysfunction, active pulmonary tuberculosis, anemia, nasal dermoid cysts, nasal obstruction, nasal itching, asthma, sneezing
ALLERGY SKIN, UNCONTROLLED HYPERTENSION, SYSTEMIC DISEASE, SINUSITIS, ANEMIA, ALLERGIC RHINITIS, ASTHMA, ASTHMA, MALIGNANT TUMOR, INACTIVE PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS, INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES MELLITUS, DYSLIPIDEMIA
The eligible participants were older than 18 years and met the criteria of moderate to severe PAR, according to the criteria listed in “Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA)” [The inclusion criteria included symptoms that had persisted for more than 4 days per week for more than four consecutive weeks and at least one of the following rhinitis-associated conditions: nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, sneezing, and nasal itching. All included participants exhibited at least one positive result on an allergy skin prick reaction test at screening. All participants had a certain degree of drug resistance to glucocorticoids in the past. The participants were excluded if they suffered from serious medical conditions, such as uncontrolled hypertension, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, past or current malignant tumor, severe dyslipidemia, liver or kidney dysfunction, anemia, active pulmonary tuberculosis, or other infectious or systemic diseases that would make treatment with acupuncture inappropriate. Participants were deemed ineligible if they suffered from congenital nasal abnormalities, including nasal dermoid cysts and congenital midline nasal masses, sinusitis, or asthma or deviation of nasal septum; had a history of nose surgery; had received CAM therapy for AR within the previous 6 months; or had received systemically administered corticosteroids, antihistamines, or decongestants within 6 months prior to enrollment. During acupuncture, we usually use nasal endoscopy for auxiliary treatment, and do not use local anesthesia spray to promote needle insertion.