Acupuncture Might Reduce Itching in Patients With Atopic Dermatitis

Acupuncture was not linked to improvements in disease severity in atopic dermatitis (AD) but might be associated with a clinically meaningful reduction in itching. Researchers published their findings in Clinical and Experimental Dermatology.

“More than half of [patients with AD] use complementary medicine, including acupuncture and osteopathic medicine,” investigators said. “The aim was to determine the feasibility, exploratory effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of semistandardized [acupuncture] and [osteopathic medicine] treatments.”

The randomized controlled single-center open explorative study involved 121 patients. In addition to usual care, 39 patients were treated with acupuncture, 40 with osteopathic medicine, and 42 with no intervention.

Patients receiving acupuncture showed a clinically relevant difference in itching compared to those in the osteopathic medicine and control groups (adjusted means: ACU 27.9 mm [95% CI 19.5; 36.4], OM 35.0 mm [26.9; 43.0], control 42.3 mm [34.7; 50.0]; P = .047).

Additionally, topical corticosteroids were used less in patients treated with acupuncture or osteopathic medicine compared to control (adjusted means 2.3 [0.8; 3.9], 1.9 [0.4; 3.5], 4.3 [2.6; 6.0]; P = .101).

Using patient questionnaires, investigators measured average itching intensity within the last week (VAS). Patients were considered responders if they showed a VAS improvement of at least 50% from baseline to 12 weeks, an outcome that was more common in the acupuncture and osteopathic medicine groups vs control.

There were no significant differences in adjusted mean SCORAD across groups, suggesting all 3 treatments resulted in no improvements to disease severity.

Cost effectiveness analyses showed adjusted QALYs were similar across groups but at higher costs for acupuncture and osteopathic medicine. Researchers therefore concluded acupuncture and osteopathic medicine were not cost-effective treatment options.

“Although the study showed no clinically relevant differences in disease severity by SCORAD or EASI after 8 [acupuncture] treatments, 5 [osteopathic medicine] treatments, or no intervention (control) plus routine care, we found some indication that [acupuncture] may reduce itching and that acupuncture and [osteopathic medicine] may reduce [topical corticosteroid] use,” authors concluded.

Reference:
Rotter G, Ahnert MW, Geue AV, et al. Acupuncture and osteopathic medicine for atopic dermatitis—a three-armed randomized controlled explorative clinical trial. Clin Exp Dermatol. Published online ahead of print July 25, 2022. doi:10.1111/ced.15340