Optimization of acupoint application scheme in the treatment of bronchial asthma based on the orthogonal design method / 中国针灸

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the primary and secondary factors of the allergic history, the frequency of acupoint application and the time of acupoint application in the treatment of bronchial asthma and optimize its scheme.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty patients of bronchial asthma were selected as the subjects in the orthogonal trial. The herbal medicines were the empirical formula of acupoint application (prepared at the ratio as 221111111 of,, unprocessed,,,,,and) and used on bilateral Feishu (BL 13), Xinshu (BL 15), Geshu (BL 17) and Shenshu (BL 23). Firstly, two groups were divided according to allergic history (40 cases with allergic history and 40 cases without allergic history), and then four subgroups were divided on the basis of the two main groups, 10 cases in each one. Through studying three factors and two levels, i.e. allergic history (Factor AAwith allergic history; Awithout allergic history), the frequency of acupoint application (Factor BB4 times; B10 times, in which, in the group of 4-time applications, the application was given once every 10 days; in the group of 10-time applications, the application was given once every 4 days); and the time of application (Factor CC4 h; C8 h), the optimal scheme was screened on the basis of the attack frequency before and after treatment and the score of the asthma quality life questionnaire (AQLQ) before treatment and 6 months after treatment in the patients of each group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>① The orthogonal trial indicated that the best optimal scheme was ABC, meaning the patients with allergic history were treated with acupoint application for 10 times, remained for 4 h. ②Factor B (frequency of acupoint application) and C (time of acpoint application) were the significant influential factors of AQLQ scores (both<0.05). ③The comparison of the attack frequency and AQLQ score before and after treatment in all of the patients showed that the different combinations of factor levels induced the different impacts on the asthma attack frequency and AQLQ scores. Except in the group No.1 and the group No.5, the improvements were all significant in the rest groups, indicating the significant differences (<0.05,<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Acupoint application reduces apparently the attack frequency of asthma in the patients and improves the living quality. The primary and secondary relationship among the allergic history, the frequency of acupoint application and the time of acupoint application for the impacts on the therapeutic effects arethe frequency of acupoint application > the time of acupoint application > the allergic history. The best optimal scheme is ABC, meaning the patients with allergic history are treated with acupoint application for 10 times, remained for 4h.</p>