Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Review Article

Potential Acupoint Prescriptions and Outcome Reporting for Acupuncture in Atopic Eczema: A Scoping Review

Table 3

The outcomes reporting in clinical trials of acupuncture for eczema.


Domains/outcomes	Outcomes reporting (n)	OMIs/definitions	Measurement time point (n)

Clinical signs
Erythema	65	SCORAD, EASI, Likert scale, Chinese self-made questionnaire	30
Oozing/crust	21	SCORAD, EASI, Likert scale, POME	18
Induration/edema/papulation	64	SCORAD, EASI, Likert scale, Chinese self-made questionnaire	31
Excoriation	59	SCORAD, EASI, Likert scale, POME, Chinese self-made questionnaire	29
Lichenification	60	SCORAD, EASI, Chinese self-made questionnaire	28
Dryness	9	SCORAD, POME	13
Lesion area	97	SCORAD, EASI, Likert scale, Chinese self-made questionnaire	32
Skin temperature	2	Infrared radiation thermometer	3

Symptoms
Itch	91	VAS, EIQ, POME, Chinese self-made questionnaire	34
Bleeding	1	POME	3
Cracks	1	Chinese self-made questionnaire	2
Sleep loss	10	VAS, ISI, PSQI, SRSS, Likert scale	13
TCM symptoms	4	Chinese self-made questionnaire	8

Heath-related quality of life
Quality of life	20	DLQI, EPQOLS	11

Long-term control of flares
Recurrence rate	20	—	28

Immune system outcomes
BAT	1	FLOW-CAST basophil activation test	3
BASO	1	Blood routine examination	2
EOS	3	Automated hematology analyzer, blood routine examination	5
CD3+	2	Flow cytometry	3
CD4+	4	Flow cytometry	11
CD8+	4	Flow cytometry	11
IFN-γ	3	ELISA	4
TNF-α	2	ELISA	3
IL-2	3	ELISA	4
IL-4	5	ELISA	5
IL-5	3	ELISA	4
IL-12	1	ELISA	2
IL-18	1	ELISA	2
IgE	5	Immunoturbidimetry assay, ELISA	11
CRP	1	ELISA	3

Others
Adherence/compliance	20	—	0
Adverse events/side effects	51	—	20

BAT: basophil activation test; EOS: eosinophil count; BASO: basophil; CRP: C-reactive protein; EASI: Eczema Area and Severity Index; POEM: Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure; EIQ: Eppendorf Itch Questionnaire; VAS: Visual Analogue Scale; SCORAD: Scoring Atopic Dermatitis Index; DLQI: Dermatology Life Quality Index; EPQOLS: quality of life scale for chronic eczema; ISI: Insomnia Severity Index; PSQI: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; SRSS: Sleep Self-Rating Scale.