Chinese Herbal Medicine for Pediatric Allergic Rhinitis is
Popular in Taiwan
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common allergic disorder in
children, some of whom seek complementary treatments, including acupuncture and
Chinese herbs. Little, however, is known about the treatment of pediatric AR
with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). To characterize TCM use in pediatric
AR, we conducted a nationwide population-based study. We screened one million
randomly sampled beneficiaries of the National Health Insurance Program in
Taiwan from 2002 to 2010 to identify children <18 years of age with newly
diagnosed allergic rhinitis (ICD-9 code 477.9). The subjects were categorized
according to their use of TCM. We identified 97,401 children newly diagnosed
with AR for inclusion in the study. Among these children, 63.11% (N=61,472) had
used TCM. There were significantly more TCM users than non-users among
school-age children and adolescents (P<0.001). Most (99.1%) pediatric TCM
users received Chinese herbal remedies (99.1%); only 0.9% received acupuncture
or manipulative therapies. Xin-Yi-Qing-Fei-Tang (Magnolia Flower Lung-Clearing
Decoction) was the most frequently prescribed TCM formulation (23.44%), and the
most commonly prescribed single herb was Chan-Tui (Periostracum cicadae;
13.78%). Regarding syndrome differentiation (ZHENG) according to TCM theory,
prescriptions for the Cold Syndrome exceeded those for the Hot Syndrome
throughout the year in Taiwan. We found that approximately two-thirds of
pediatric AR patients were prescribed TCM treatments in Taiwan. Further
research is warranted to examine the efficacy and safety of TCM for pediatric
AR patients.
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