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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1410342

Comparative efficacy of traditional non-pharmacological add-on treatments in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review and network metaanalysis

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 2 Wonkwang University, Iksan, North Jeolla, Republic of Korea
  • 3 College of Korean medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major global public health concern. In this study, we examined the comparative efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions within East Asian traditional medicine (EATM-NPI) for enhancing pulmonary function and exercise capacity in patients with stable COPD. A thorough search of electronic databases conducted until May 22, 2022, identified studies employing EATM-NPI in such patients. The evaluation focused on the impact adjunctive therapies on pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1]) and exercise capacity (6-minute walking distance [6MWD]). The qualitative assessment encompassed 142 studies, with 133 studies included in one of three network meta-analyses. Participants, aged 49–76 years, ranged from 9 to 139 per group, predominantly from China (87.7% of studies). Overall study quality was generally low, and reported adverse events were mild. Notably, moxibustion and qigong adjunctive therapies demonstrated significant improvements in FEV1 (L) and FEV1 (%). Additionally, chuna, acupuncture, qigong and moxibustion adjunctive therapies were associated with significant improvements in 6MWD. In conclusion, EATM-NPI adjunctive therapy, when combined with standard pharmacological treatment, exhibited effects on pulmonary function and exercise capacity in patients with COPD.

    Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Non-pharmacological treatment, AddOn, Systematic review, Network meta-analysis

    Received: 01 Apr 2024; Accepted: 31 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Roh, Leem, Lee, Kim and Jung. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Ji-Ae Roh, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 130-701, Republic of Korea
    Kwan-Il Kim, College of Korean medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
    Hee-Jae Jung, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 130-701, Republic of Korea

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