The effect of Qutanjiufeitang decoction combined with acupuncture on pulmonary function and acute recurrence for patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of expectorant and lung saving decoction combined with acupuncture in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)patients with stable period. Methods A retrospective study was performed on 130 cases of COPD patients who were admitted from February to December 2017.According to the odd and even numbers, they were divided into the acupuncture and moxibustion treatment group and the expectorant and lungs-relieving decoction group, with 65 patients were in each group.In the acupuncture treatment group, 35 males and 30 females were aged(57.92±11.36)years, ranging from 36 to 70 years.There were 34 males and 31 females in the expectorant and lung-saving decoction group, whose ages ranged from 35 to 70 years old(58.24±12.07)years.Patients in the acupuncture and moxibustion treatment group were treated with acupuncture and moxibustion on the basis of conventional treatment, while patients in the expectorant and lung-saving decoction group were treated with expectorant and lung-saving decoction on the basis of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment group.TCM symptom score was used to evaluate the improvement of patients′ symptoms, and forced breathing volume(FEV1)in the first second and forced breathing volume/forced vital capacity(FEV1/FVC)in the first second were used to evaluate patients′ lung function.To assess the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease symptom score(CAT), blood levels of c-reactive protein(CRP), tumor necrosis factor(TNF-α), and interleukin 8(IL-8)were measured.The acute recurrence rate was observed after 6 months follow-up. Results After treatment, the total score of TCM symptoms in the expectorant and lung-saving decoction group [(3.22±0.73)scores] was lower than that in the acupuncture and moxibustion group [(4.38±0.61)scores]. FEV1 and FEV1/FVC [(1.89±0.43)L, (68.46±2.84)%] were higher than those in the acupuncture and moxibustion group [(1.53±0.47)L, (63.80±2.93)%]. CAT [(11.36±1.30)scores] was lower than that of the acupuncture and moxibustion group [(14.90±1.27)scores]. CRP, TNF-α and IL-8 [(24.37 ± 4.24)g/L, (53.20±8.61)pg/ml, (7.12±0.97)g/L] were lower than those of the acupuncture and moxibustion group [(31.49±4.30)g/L, (71.38±9.39)pg/ml, (9.68±0.93)g/L], and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05). After 6 months of follow-up, acute recurrence rate [4.6%(3/65)] was lower in the treatment group than in the acupuncture and moxibustion group [15.4%(10/65)], and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). Conclusion The application of Qutanjiufeitang combined with acupuncture for stable COPD improve lung function, reduce inflammatory factor levels and acute recurrence. Key words: Qutanjiufeitang decoction; Acupuncture; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Lung function; Recurrence