Effect of acupuncture of sphenopalatine ganglion for the treatment of allergic rhinitis: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis is an allergic disease of the nasal mucosa mediated by IgE after the body is exposed to allergens. Acupuncture of sphenoid ganglion is a new technique developed by Professor Li Xinwu in the 1860 s to treat allergic rhinitis the efficacy of acupuncture on the sphenopalatine ganglion in the treatment of AR has been clinically verified, but a systematic review and meta-analysis of them is lacking. Our purpose is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on the sphenopalatine ganglion in the treatment of AR. METHODS: We will search 8 electronic databases, including: Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, CBM, Wanfang, VIP, WHO ICTRP, ChiCTR, Clinical Trials, Grey Literature Database. The literature search, screening and extraction will be carried out independently by 2 researchers. When the opinions are not uniform, it depends on the opinion of the third researcher. We will use RevmanV.5.3 to perform a fixed-effect meta-analysis on the date of clinical homogeneity studies, and the level of evidence will pass GRADE method. RESULTS: This systematic review and meta-analysis will put a high-quality synthesis of the efficacy and safety of acupuncture of sphenoid ganglion treatment in AR. CONCLUSION: The review will provide a comprehensive basis for the treatment of AR patients with acupuncture on the sphenopalatine ganglion. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Since this article does not involve patient privacy, ethical approval is not required. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY2020100067.