Efficacy of TCM modified Qinggan Runfei Decoction combined with Western Medicine for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with pneumonia in patients with Qi-Yin Deficiency syndrome

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and mechanism of TCM modified Qingzao Jiufei decoction combined with western medicine on Qi and Yin deficiency patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia. Methods Total 98 cases of Qi and Yin deficiency patients with acute exacerbation of COPD and pneumonia were randomly divided into control group (n=49) and observation group (n=49). The control group was given conventional anti-infective, bronchodilator, expectorant and other treatment for 2 months, while the observation group was given TCM Qingzao Jiufei decoction oral, one dose a day for 2 months. The clinical efficacy, TCM syndrome score, dyspnea score (mMRC), 6-minute walk test (6MWT), lung function and peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets, natural killer cells, IgG, IgA, IgM (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), MMP, TIMP, TGF-β1 and VEGF were measured. Results The total effective rate was 91.84% in the observation group, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (77.55%, P<0.05). The scores of TCM syndromes were significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05). After the treatment, the pulmonary function indexes, mMRC score and 6 MWT of the two groups were better than those before the treatment (P<0.05). CD8⁺, CD4⁺, CD4⁺/CD8⁺, NK cells were significantly increased and CD8⁺ levels were significantly decreased in the two groups (P<0.05). The levels of IgA and IgM in the observation group were significantly increased (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference (P>0.05). IL-8, TNF-α, MMP, TIMP, TGF-β1 and VEGF were significantly decreased in both groups (P<0.05). And the observation group after the treatment were significantly better than the control group after the treatment (P<0.05). The number of acute exacerbations and the number of hospitalizations in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion The therapeutic effect of TCM Qingzao Jiufei decoction combined with western medicine on qi and yin deficiency syndrome in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia is obvious, and the mechanism may be related to stop cascade of inflammation and improve the immune function and airway remodeling state.