Key Finding
This pilot trial protocol will assess whether acupuncture as adjunctive therapy achieves ≥50% reduction in cough severity for cough variant asthma patients receiving standard inhaled corticosteroid treatment.
Researchers are testing whether acupuncture can help people with cough variant asthma (CVA), a type of asthma where chronic cough is the main symptom rather than wheezing. CVA affects many people and can develop into classic asthma if not properly managed. This study is a pilot trial, meaning it's an early-stage research project designed to test whether a larger study would be worthwhile. The researchers will enroll 88 participants across multiple medical centers in China. Half will receive real acupuncture while the other half receives sham (fake) acupuncture, and all participants will continue their standard inhaled steroid medications. Treatment involves 16 acupuncture sessions over 8 weeks, followed by 8 weeks of monitoring. The main goal is to see if acupuncture reduces cough severity by at least 50% compared to sham treatment. Researchers will also measure quality of life, sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and biological markers of inflammation like exhaled nitric oxide and blood eosinophil counts. Because this is a study protocol rather than completed research, no results are available yet. The findings will help determine whether acupuncture is a safe and effective addition to standard CVA treatment. If you're interested in acupuncture for respiratory conditions, consult a licensed acupuncturist with experience treating asthma and chronic cough.
This multicenter pilot RCT will evaluate acupuncture as adjunctive therapy for cough variant asthma (CVA). Eighty-eight participants will be randomized 1:1 to real acupuncture (RA) or sham acupuncture (SA) alongside ICS-based standard care. The intervention consists of 16 sessions over 8 weeks with 8-week follow-up. The primary outcome measures effective response rate at week 8, defined as ≥50% reduction in cough severity on VAS. Secondary outcomes include validated patient-reported measures (CSD, CHQ, CET, LCQ), psychological assessments (HAMA, HAMD), sleep quality (PSQI), and objective biomarkers (FeNO, peripheral eosinophil counts). This protocol aims to establish feasibility, safety, and preliminary efficacy data for acupuncture in CVA management. As a study protocol, results are pending. The trial design addresses the evidence gap for acupuncture in this specific asthma phenotype, which carries substantial risk of progression to classic asthma.
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