Acupuncture for patients with chronic urticaria: a systematic review protocol

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• Dermatology
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Chronic urticaria is a common skin condition characterized by persistent itchy wheals.
• Current treatments for chronic urticaria have limitations, necessitating exploration of alternative therapies.
• Acupuncture is a traditional therapy with potential benefits for inflammatory conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chronic urticaria.
• To evaluate the impact of acupuncture on pruritus and wheal reduction.
• To assess secondary outcomes including quality of life and recurrence rates.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive electronic search of multiple databases (e.g., CENTRAL, PubMed, EMBASE) will be conducted.
• Inclusion criteria encompass randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for chronic urticaria, regardless of language or publication status.
• Data will be extracted and quality assessed independently by two researchers, with meta-analysis using RevMan V.5.2 software.

Main Results:

• Primary outcomes include improvement in pruritus and wheals.
• Secondary outcomes encompass adverse events, quality of life, and long-term recurrence rates.
• Data synthesis will employ fixed-effects or random-effects models based on heterogeneity, with results expressed as risk ratios or mean differences.

Conclusions:

• This systematic review protocol outlines a rigorous approach to evaluating acupuncture for chronic urticaria.
• The findings will provide evidence-based insights into the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture as a treatment option.
• Dissemination will occur through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.