慢性支氣管炎的中醫治療病例報告

A Case Study of Chronic Bronchitis Treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine

慢性支氣管炎是慢性阻塞性肺病（Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease，簡稱COPD）的一種疾病，發炎的氣管會造成氣管及支氣管下粘液腺分泌的粘液增加，導致氣流阻塞，因而引起呼吸困難及咳嗽，在中醫是屬於“咳嗽”、“喘症”、“肺脹”等範疇。患者臨床症狀可出現咳嗽、咳痰或氣喘等症狀。早期的症狀相當輕微，多在冬季發作，晚期則炎性加重，症狀長期存在，不分季節。慢性支氣管炎若不及時治療，則可能引起續發性支氣管擴張症、慢性肺氣腫等疾病，此時肺部組織的破壞是不可逆的。若是反復呼吸道感染，病情進一步加重，肺功能進一步減退，最終可能導致肺心病而引起呼吸衰竭和心臟衰竭。本文是在探討一位慢性支氣管炎個案的中醫治療過程，個案因過去曾以西藥治療無效，轉而透過中醫治療後曾經痊癒，但近一年症狀又復發，以單純服用科學中藥治療後效果不明顯，其後，藉由拔罐及艾灸刺激穴位的方式，以輔助中藥治療，得到較好的治療效果。

Chronic bronchitis is one type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is a chronic inflammation of the bronchi in the lungs. Chronic bronchitis most often develops when irritants are breathed into the respiratory tract and down into the bronchial tubes, small hollow passageways that branch off the main airway from the mouth and nose. In traditional Chinese medicine, chronic bronchitis is classified under lung distension, cough and dyspnea. The clinical symptoms include cough, expectoration of sputum and breathlessness. Symptoms are usually slow in onset and usually occur in winter. In the advanced stage, the inflammation will get worse and the symptoms occur all year round. If chronic bronchitis is not treated in time, it may become secondary bronchiectasis or chronic emphysema and have irreversible lung tissue destruction. Repeat respiratory tract infection (RRTI) will make the patient get worsened and suffer poor pulmonary function. This will lead to cor pulmonale and cause heart failure and respiratory failure. This study aimed at the TCM treatment program of a patient with chronic bronchitis. This patient used to take western pharmaceutical drugs but it wasn't helpful. After then, he received TCM treatment and was cured. But, the symptom reoccurred one year ago. Only taking scientific Chinese medicines didn't achieve good efficiency. Thus, moxibustion and cupping techniques companied with Chinese herb treatment were applied. This method helped the patient get a significant better improvement.