To evaluate the effects of acupuncture on asthma control and body weight in obese patients with chronic persistent asthma.
Approach:
Study Design: Retrospective cohort study comparing a control group receiving conventional treatment and a treatment group receiving conventional treatment plus acupuncture.
Participants: 225 participants in the control group and 190 in the treatment group, all diagnosed with chronic persistent asthma and obesity.
Treatment Protocol: The treatment group received acupuncture sessions three times per week in addition to inhaled corticosteroids.
Outcome Measures: Pulmonary function indicators, Asthma Control Test scores, Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire scores, serum inflammatory markers, and BMI were assessed.
Key Findings:
After treatment, the treatment group showed improvements in pulmonary function, asthma control, quality of life, inflammatory markers, and BMI.
Treatment modality was independently associated with asthma control and weight changes.
The response model demonstrated moderate discriminative ability (AUC = 0.656).
Interpretation:
Limitations:
The study is retrospective and may have inherent biases.
Limited generalizability due to specific inclusion criteria.
Conclusion:
This study provides evidence for acupuncture as an intervention for managing asthma and weight in obese patients.
