In this study on patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU), 1 month of bloodletting therapy combined with ebastine is clinically beneficial compared with placebo treatment combined with ebastine and treatment with ebastine only. Thus, bloodletting therapy can be an effective complementary treatment in CIU.
Enrolled patients with CIU were randomized into three groups: group A treated with bloodletting therapy and ebastine, group B treated with placebo treatment and ebastine, and group C treated with ebastine only. The intention-to-treat analysis was conducted, and the primary outcome was the effective rate of UAS7 score being reduced to 7 or below after treatment phase.
The effective rates at the end of treatment phase were different among the three groups, which were 73.7% in group A, 45.6% in group B, and 42.9% in group C. Multiple analysis indicated differences between groups A and B and groups A and C and no difference between groups B and C. No severe bloodletting therapy-related adverse events were observed.
Ma B, Chen X, Liang Y, Ouyang W, Tang B, Meng F, Quan X, Wang C, Li Y, Chen D. Efficacy of Bloodletting Therapy in Patients with Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria: A Randomized Control Trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020 Oct 30;2020:6598708. doi: 10.1155/2020/6598708. PMID: 33178321; PMCID: PMC7647761.
