Clinical effect observation on acupuncture for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

• Published in: Journal of acupuncture and tuina science 2015-10, Vol.13 (5), p.306-311
• Main Authors: Liu, Lu-jiong, Shi, Miao-yan, Song, Xiu-ming, Zhang, Wei, Jiang, Chun-juan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acupuncture; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Clinical Study; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Ventilation
• ISSN: 1672-3597; 1993-0399
• DOI: 10.1007/s11726-015-0872-4

Objective To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the improvements of patients’ pulmonary ventilation function and 6-minute walk test (6-MWT) distance. Methods A total of 80 COPD patients [grade 3-4 in Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), qi deficiency of the lung and kidney in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pattern] were randomly allocated into a treatment group ( n =40) and a control group ( n =40). Salmeterol Xinafoate and Fluticasone Propionate powder (Seretide, 50 μg/250 μg) for inhalation was used for basic treatment in both groups (once in the morning and once in the evening). Patients in the treatment group received acupuncture at Feishu (BL 13), Shenshu (BL 23), Qihai (CV 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), Dingchuan (EX-B 1), Danzhong (CV 17) and Zusanli (ST 36) twice a week for 3 months. After 3 months of treatment, clinical effects, lung ventilation functions and 6-MWT distance were observed and compared in the two groups. Results After 3 months of treatment, the total effective rate was 95.0% in the treatment group, versus 80.0% in the control group, showing a statistical difference ( P