Efficacy of indoor air purification in the treatment of Artemisia pollen‐allergic rhinitis: A randomised, double‐blind, clinical controlled trial

Abstract

Objectives:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of a high-efficiency air purifier in patients with allergic rhinitis. Design:We conducted a randomised, double-blind, clinical controlled trial with active and inactive versions of an air purifier. Our study included patients with allergic rhinitis who were sensitive to Artemisia pollen and treatment of the indoor environment using air filtration at night. We evaluated the clinical efficacy of indoor air filtration during the Artemisia pollen scattering season in Yulin City in Shanxi Province, China.Setting: The First Hospital of Yulin (Yulin City, Shanxi Province, China). Participants:A total of 90 patients with allergic rhinitis who were sensitive to allergens of Artemisia pollen were randomly assigned to one of two groups in equal numbers. Main outcome measures:The primary outcome measure was the difference in visual analogue scale scores from baseline. Secondary outcomes were changes from baseline in nasal symptoms, allergy symptom scores, responses to the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire, Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores and tolerability scores for the air purifier.Results: Based on the allergy symptom score, we found significant differences in rhinitis symptoms between the groups who used the active versus the inactive air purifier. Conclusions:The results of our investigation demonstrated the health benefits of particle filtration.

Knockdown of lncRNA ANRIL suppresses the production of inflammatory cytokines and mucin 5AC in nasal epithelial cells via the miR-15a-5p/JAK2 axis

“…The incidence of allergic rhinitis (AR) has been increasing over the past decades in Asian countries ( 1 ). In China, the frequency of AR has increased from 11 to 17% in the past 10 years ( 2 ). AR is an immune-related disease that is characterized as an IgE-modulated type I hypersensitivity disorder ( 3 ).…”

Non‐pharmacological interventions for pollen‐induced allergic symptoms: Systematic literature review

“…Of 18 patients, 15 (83.3%) reported a decrease in their symptoms when the air filter was active 23 . Li et al 24 investigated the effect of an air purifier (Atmosphere ® air purifier (Amway)) in bedrooms and showed relative changes of mean differences between the intervention and control groups in symptoms of AR like nasal symptoms (relative change = −0.5, 95% CI: [−1.8, 2.9], p = .635), eye symptoms (relative change = −0.4, 95% CI: [−2.1, 2.8], p = .788), and allergy symptom score (relative change = −3.3, 95% CI: [1.1, 5.5], p = .004).…”

“…Additionally, the effects did not persist in a follow-up one year later. 21 Xue et al 22 Two controlled trials 23,24 and one NRSI 18 investigated the effect of air filters on symptoms triggered by pollen. The aim of the studies was to reduce the pollen load through air filters.…”

“…Three studies investigated the effects of air filters in an exposure chamber 18 and in bedrooms, 23,24 but two studies cannot provide representative results due to small sample sizes (n = 4 18 and n = 44 23 ). The ROBINS-I tool did not reveal an indication of a high RoB in any category for the study by Bergmann et al 18 which was the only NRSI trial in this review.…”

“…Based on the clinical setting, it cannot be concluded that the effect is effective in a normal setting. 18 The studies from Brehler et al 23 and Li et al 24 did not investigate the pollen concentration in the bedrooms before and after installing the air filter. Thus, statements about the effectiveness of air filters should be viewed critically.…”