ABSTRACT
[Aim] Diffuse pan-bronchiolitis (DPB) causes severe respiratory dysfunction and severely limits a patient's daily activities. Case: This paper reports a case of a DPB patient whose respiratory symptoms were successfully improved by acupuncture. In a case report in January 2002, a 62-year-old male visited the Department of Respiratory Internal Medicine at Gifu University Hospital, complaining of cough, pumlent sputum and dyspnea on exercise. His general condition had worsened despite ordinary medical treatment. Thus acupuncture was added to the treatment in August, 2001. Intervention: The patient received acupuncture treatments once a week for 50 weeks. The acupuncture treatment was based on the Chinese medicine theory. Measurements: Outcome measures were respiratory symptoms using the Fletcher-Hugh-Jones (F-H-J) classification, 6-minute walking distance (6 MWD), blood test, arterial blood gas and pulmonary function tests. Computed tomography (CT) was assessed. Each evaluation was done after 15 weeks and 50 weeks later.<br>[Results] After 15 weeks of acupuncture treatment, cough, pumlent sputum, walking distance, the Borg scale and respiratory function were significantly improved compared with the baseline. Moreover, the effect of the acupuncture treatment continued for 50 weeks.<br>[Conclusion] This suggests that acupuncture treatment was effective in treating the advanced case of DPB.
ABSTRACT
Emphysema with bronchial asthma (BA) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes severe respiratory dysfunction and severely limits a patient's daily activities. This paper reports the case of a COPD patient whose respiratory symptoms were successfully improved with acupuncture. In July 1998, a 69-year-old male visited the Department of Respiratory Internal Medicine at Gifu University Hospital, complaining of dyspnea on exercise, and asthma attacks. His general condition had worsened despite strictly controlled medication and home oxygen therapy (HOT). Acupuncture was thus added to these treatments from ******. Before initiating the acupuncture treatment, the severity of dyspnea in the patient was diagnosed as level III (Severe), according to the GOLD classification. Spirometry showed severely disturbed respiratory function (%VC: 90.7%, FEV<sub>1</sub>%: 35.1%, %FEV<sub>1</sub>: 38.2%, V 25: 0.20 L/S). The basic combination of meridian points used in this case included LU 1 (Zhongfu), LU 5 (Chize), LU 9 (Taiyan), CV 4 (Guanyuan), CV 12 (Zhongwan), CV 22 (Tiantu), ST 40 (Fenglong), BL 13 (Feishu), BL 23 (Shenshu) and KI 3 (Fuliu). The patient received acupuncture treatments once a week for 10 weeks. Respiratory function and symptoms were measured. After 10 weeks of acupuncture treatment, asthma attacks, walking distance, the Borg scale and respiratory functions were significantly improved compared with the baseline. This suggests that acupuncture treatment was effective in treating advanced cases of both asthma and COPD.