Table 2.
A comparison of changes in AD symptoms between baseline and week 4 and periodic analysis of AD symptoms
| Variables | Verum Acupuncture (n = 18) | Sham Acupuncture (n = 17) | Difference between groups after adjusted baseline value (95% CI) | P valuea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total SCORADb | ||||
| LS mean (SE) at baseline | 34.38 (2.30) | 34.90 (2.37) | – | – |
| LS mean (SE) at week 2 | 27.25 (2.60) | 35.12 (2.67) | 7.37 (3.46, 11.29) | 0.0036 |
| LS mean (SE) at week 4 | 22.55 (2.83) | 35.35 (2.91) | 12.31 (7.14, 17.48) | <.0001 |
| LS mean (SE) After treatment, at week 8 | 21.50 (2.97) | 34.06 (3.06) | 12.06 (6.36, 17.77) | 0.0006 |
| Objective SCORADb | ||||
| LS mean (SE) at baseline | 24.90 (2.02) | 25.53 (2.08) | – | – |
| LS mean (SE) at week 2 | 20.22 (2.20) | 26.50 (2.27) | 5.66 (3.02, 8.29) | 0.0006 |
| LS mean (SE) at week 4 | 16.90 (2.27) | 27.45 (2.34) | 9.94 (6.64, 13.25) | <.0001 |
| LS mean (SE) After treatment, at week 8 | 15.94 (2.34) | 26.62 (2.40) | 10.12 (5.82, 14.42) | <.0001 |
| EASIb | ||||
| LS mean (SE) at baseline | 5.16 (1.16) | 5.83 (1.19) | – | – |
| LS mean (SE) at week 2 | 4.47 (1.26) | 5.97 (1.29) | 0.78 (0.02, 1.55) | 0.2754 |
| LS mean (SE) at week 4 | 3.44 (1.22) | 6.49 (1.26) | 2.40 (0.99, 3.81) | 0.0090 |
| LS mean (SE) After treatment, at week 8 | 3.29 (1.29) | 6.13 (1.33) | 2.15 (0.74, 3.57) | 0.0246 |
| POEM | ||||
| LS mean (SE) at baseline | 12.39 (1.26) | 14.18 (1.29) | – | – |
| LS mean (SE) at week 2 | 9.44 (1.46) | 12.35 (1.51) | 1.36(−1.48, 4.20) | > 0.9999 |
| LS mean (SE) at week 4 | 7.72 (1.53) | 11.65 (1.57) | 2.37(−0.73, 5.48) | 0.7758 |
| LS mean (SE) After treatment, at week 8 | 7.78 (1.70) | 11.76 (1.75) | 2.02(− 0.82, 4.85) | 0.9432 |
| DLQI | ||||
| LS mean (SE) at baseline | 8.83 (1.34) | 10.24 (1.38) | – | – |
| LS mean (SE) at week 2 | 6.28 (1.00) | 6.76 (1.02) | −0.26(−2.25, 1.72) | > 0.9999 |
| LS mean (SE) at week 4 | 5.06 (0.95) | 5.76 (0.98) | 0.23(−2.18, 2.64) | > 0.9999 |
| LS mean (SE) After treatment, at week 8 | 4.72 (1.03) | 5.47 (1.06) | 0.10(−2.27, 2.48) | > 0.9999 |
Abbreviations: SCORAD Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (range, 0 [clear] to 100 [very severe]), EASI Eczema Area and Severity Index, POEM Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (range, 0 [clear] to 28 [very severe]), DLQI Dermatology Life Quality Index (range. 0 [no effect of skin disease on quality of life] to 30 [maximum effect on quality of life])
a From an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with a factor of treatment group and corresponding baseline value as the covariate. The p-value is corrected by multiple comparisons
b This shows a significant difference between groups through repeated measures ANOVA (RM ANOVA). In addition, the LS mean is the least squares mean estimated by RM ANOVA