ABSTRACT Introduction The use of acupoint autohemotherapy (A‐AHT) has shown promise in the management of atopic dermatitis (AD); however, the lack of rigorously controlled comparative studies presents a significant obstacle to the establishment of strong clinical evidence. Aim We aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of A‐AHT and subcutaneous Dupilumab injection in AD patients. Patients and Methods Thirty‐one patients with moderate‐to‐severe AD were randomly allocated to receive 8 times of weekly intramuscular autologous whole blood (AWB) injection into bilateral Zusanli (ST36), Xuehai (SP10), Quchi (LI11) and Ashi points ( n = 23) or subcutaneous Dupilumab injection with the dosage based on age/weigh ( n = 8) for 8 weeks. Changes in SCORAD value, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores for pruritus and sleep quality, serum total IgE, cytokines including interleukin (IL)−2, IL‐4, IL‐6, IL‐10, interferon (IFN)‐γ, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α levels were assessed at baseline and week 8. Results Both treatments resulted in a reduction of SCORAD values and serum IgE levels compared to their baseline ( p < 0.001 or p < 0.05); however, no significant differences were observed between the two groups. When compared to the Dupilumab group, A‐AHT exhibited greater effectiveness in improving the VAS scores for pruritus and sleep quality. Within the A‐AHT group, there was a significant improvement in the serum levels of IL‐2, IL‐6, IL‐10, TNF‐α, and IFN‐γ at week 8 compared to baseline ( p < 0.05 or p < 0.01), whereas no changes were noted in the Dupilumab group. Serious adverse events were not observed. Conclusions A‐AHT appears to be effective in treating moderate‐to‐severe AD, warranting further studies to validate these results. Trail Registration: ChiCTR2300068163.
Li et al. (2026) studied this question.