OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation over the acupuncture points (acu-TENS) on total serum immunoglobulin E (IgEtotal), pulmonary function, and quality of life in adolescents with asthma. METHODS: In a double-blind randomized clinical trial, 32 adolescents (age 12 to 16 years) with asthma participated and were assigned randomly to receive either the breathing retraining program (control group) or the breathing retraining program plus acu-TENS application (acu-TENS group). Acu-TENS was applied for 40 minutes' day-after-day session for two successive months, with no side-effects reported. Serum IgEtotal, pulmonary function (forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV1), and FEV1/FVC), and quality of life were evaluated pre- and post-treatment. RESULTS: Serum IgEtotal (p = 0.028, partial-eta2 = 0.15), Pulmonary function (FVC (p = 0.043, partial-eta2 = 0.13), FEV1 (p = 0.046, partial-eta2 = 0.12)), and quality of life (p < 0.001, partial-eta2 = 0.17) increased significantly in theaAcu-TENS group when compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the acu-TENS is an impending asthma treatment that may be used to reinforce the immune system response, ameliorate lung function, and increase the quality of life in adolescents with asthma.

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