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. 2023 Aug 7;14(1):109-120.
doi: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2023.08.002. eCollection 2024 Jan.

Integrative traditional Chinese medicine treatment for children with obstructive sleep apnea

Wan-Yu Lai  1   2 , Chang-Ching Wei  3   4 , Chien-Heng Lin  3   4 , Liang-Wen Hang  5 , Ying-Hsiu Shih  6 , Fen-Wei Huang  7 , Hung-Rong Yen  1   2   8   9   10
Affiliations

Integrative traditional Chinese medicine treatment for children with obstructive sleep apnea

Wan-Yu Lai et al. J Tradit Complement Med. .

Abstract

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a chronic disease that affects 1%-6% of children. Our study aims to explore the effectiveness and clinical characteristics of integrative Traditional Chinese Medicine (ITCM) for pediatric OSA.

Materials and methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we assessed differences of polysomnography (PSG) parameters and clinical characteristics between 2009 and 2020. Children <12 years old diagnosed with OSA (n = 508) were included and were categorized into ITCM cohort, western medicine (WM) cohort ,and surgery cohort. Outcomes were apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), respiratory disturbance index (RDI), and body mass index (BMI).

Results: There were 56 (11%), 324 (63.8%), and 128 (25.2%) patients in the ITCM, WM, and surgery cohorts. Among 17, 26, and 33 patients in the ITCM, WM, and surgery cohorts underwent follow-up PSG studies, respectively. In the ITCM follow-up cohort, AHI were significantly reduced (9.59 to 5.71, p < 0.05). BMI significantly increased in the WM follow-up cohort (19.46 to 20.50, p < 0.05) and the surgery follow-up cohort (18.04 to 18.85, p < 0.01). Comparing ITCM to WM cohort, a significant difference was found between the changes in RDI (ITCM: -6.78, WM: 0.51, p < 0.05) after treatment. Among ITCM follow-up cohort, the most prescribed TCM formula was Forsythia and Laminaria Combination. The most prescribed TCM herb was Ephedrae Herba.

Conclusions: ITCM therapy can significantly reduce RDI and control BMI. We identified potential TCM treatments for pediatric OSA. Further study of the pharmacological mechanisms and clinical efficacy is warranted.

Keywords: Children; Ephedrae Herba; Forsythia and Laminaria combination; Obstructive sleep apnea;; Traditional Chinese medicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) children recruitment. Abbreviation: CMUH, China Medical University Hospital; ITCM, Integrative Traditional Chinese Medicine; WM, Western Medicine; PSG, Polysomnography; TCM, Traditional Chinese Medicine.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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