ABSTRACT
Diffuse Pan Bronchiolitis (DPB) is a peculiar airwaydisease with its pathogenesis enrooted in a complexinterplay of various genetic and environmental factors.Airway inflammation, chronic airflow limitation andsuppuratives in pulmonary infections are the distinctivefeatures of this entity. It poses a close differential toother frequently encountered pulmonary conditionslike chronic bronchitis, emphysema, bronchiectasis andconstrictive bronchiolitis. Deferment in diagnosis canculminate in irreversible airway remodeling andprogressive respiratory failure. Hence a punctualrecognition is vital. Macrolide group of drugs are primemodality of therapy and the response to therapy isbenignant. We herein describe a case of DPB withdevelopment of sequelae owing to its delayeddetection
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.