Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of self-made Bitong Ointment combined with umbilical dressing of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of children with pediatric allergic rhinitis differentiated as type of latent heat in the lung meridian.

Methods Eighty children with allergic rhinitis differentiated as type of latent heat in the lung meridian were randomly divided into observation group and control group, with 40 cases in each group. The control group was treated with loratadine, while the observation group was additionally treated with self-made Bitong Ointment and umbilical dressing of traditional Chinese medicine. After 4 weeks of treatment, the clinical effect, TCM syndrome score, airway stress response, inflammatory factors, and therapeutic safety were evaluated.

Results The total effective rate in the observation group was 95.00% (38/40), which was higher than 77.50% (31/40) in the control group. After treatment, the scores of main TCM syndromes such as frequent sneezing, clear and thin nasal discharge, decreased sense of smell, shortness of breath, and reluctance to speak in the observation group were lower than those in the control group. After treatment, the levels of indicators of airway stress response such as exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), lipid peroxide (LHP) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the observation group were lower than those in the control group. After treatment, the levels of inflammatory factors such as monocyte chemoattractant protein-4 (MCP-4), cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 (CysLTR1), and interleukin-9 (IL-9) in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The incidence rate of adverse reactions during treatment was 15.00% (6/40) in the observation groupand 10.00% (4/40) in the control group, with no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05).

Conclusion The combination of self-made Bitong Ointment combined with umbilical dressing of traditional Chinese medicine is effective in the treatment of children with pediatric allergic rhinitis differentiated as type of latent heat in the lung meridian, which can improve the TCM syndromes, inhibit the airway stress response, reduce the expression levels of inflammatory factors, and has good therapeutic safety.