Clinical observation on the efficacy of auricular acupuncture combined with finger pressure therapy for pregnancy-related allergic rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common chronic inflammatory disease, and during pregnancy hormonal and immunological changes may worsen symptoms while the safety of pharmacotherapy remains a concern. This single-center retrospective study included 87 pregnant women with AR, allocated to an auricular acupressure plus finger acupoint stimulation group (n = 42) or a drug therapy group (n = 45). Baseline characteristics were comparable. At week 3, the intervention group showed greater improvements in total nasal symptom scores (5.86 ± 2.01 vs 6.91 ± 2.33, P = .027), visual analogue scale (4.17 ± 2.45 vs 5.45 ± 2.21, P = .013), rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire (16.21 ± 7.31 vs 20.11 ± 7.81, P = .018), self-rating anxiety scale (46.23 ± 6.79 vs 49.89 ± 7.34, P = .018), self-rating depression scale (50.13 ± 6.45 vs 53.85 ± 6.98, P = .011), and peak nasal inspiratory flow (80.33 ± 5.41 vs 77.45 ± 6.03, P = .021) compared with the drug group. No significant differences in perinatal complications or adverse events were observed. These results suggest that auricular acupressure combined with finger acupoint stimulation is a safe and effective non-pharmacological intervention for pregnant women with AR, improving nasal symptoms, airflow, quality of life, and psychological well-being while avoiding medication-related risks.