Spa therapy for respiratory diseases. Characteristics of patients with spatherapy / 日本温泉気候物理医学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

Factors of spa therapy in relation to clinical effects were studied on 36 patients, who were admitted to Misasa Branch Hospital in 1987 with respiratory diseases.<br>1. The patients who received the spa therapy comprised 30 cases of bronchial asthma, 3 cases of diffuse panbronchiolitis, 3 cases of allergic granulomatous angitis, and 1 case of bronchiectasia.<br>2. Most bronchial asthma patients were over 40 years old, and 16 cases (53.3%) of 30 patients had long-term glucocorticoids. The serum cortisol level was generally low and was especially low in the cases with glucocorticoids therapy (4.9±5.6mcg/dl in female patients and 3.5±3.2mcg/dl in male patients). The incidence of each clinical type of asthma was as follows 12 cases (66.7%) of bronchospasm type (Ia), 6 cases (33.3%) of bronchospasm plus hypersecresion type (Ib), and no case (0%) of bronchiolar obstruction type (II) out of 18 female patients. For male patients, there were 5 cases (41.7%) of Ia, 5 cases (41.7%) of Ib, and 2 cases (16.7%) of II. Spa therapy was obviously effective in 25 out of 30 cases (83.3%).<br>3. Spa therapy was also effective for respiratory diseases other than asthma, especially for diffuse panbronchiolitis.