Press-needle therapy added to medication may improve children’s allergic rhinitis symptoms, quality of life, and recurrence without increasing adverse reactions.
Researchers systematically searched for randomized controlled trials examining press-needle therapy for children with allergic rhinitis, screened eligible studies, extracted data, assessed study quality, and combined findings using a random-effects meta-analysis. They compared press-needle therapy used alongside medication, press-needle therapy alone, and medication alone across clinical response, symptoms, quality of life, immune markers, adverse reactions, and recurrence.
Across the included trials, press-needle therapy improved overall clinical response, nasal symptoms, patient-reported discomfort, and quality of life, while reducing recurrence. The benefits were principally seen when press-needle therapy supplemented medication; press-needle therapy alone did not clearly outperform medication. Adverse reactions did not differ between groups, while evidence concerning immune-related outcomes was inconsistent and limited.
