Long-term follow-up of the treatment for severe COVID-19 with qigong exercise and acupressure: A randomized controlled trial
Author: Shuting Liu1,2,3, Ranran Zhu1, Chongjie Yao4,5, Chao Zhan6, Jinxiang Wang1, Min Fang5, Lei Fang1,2
Affiliation:
1 School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
2 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai, China.
3 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Suzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Suzhou, China.
4 School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
5 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
6 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huangshi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hubei, China.
Conference/Journal: Integr Med Res
Date published: 2024 Dec 1
Other:
Volume ID: 13 , Issue ID: 4 , Pages: 101084 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.imr.2024.101084. , Word Count: 305
Background:
Most clinical trials have reported significant short-term effects of traditional medicine therapies on COVID-19 patients. However, there is no clinical trial to determine the long-term effects of traditional medicine therapies on severe COVID-19 patients.
Methods:
A total of 128 patients with severe COVID-19, who were recruited in our previous clinical trial following hospital discharge, were monitored at months 14 and 28. This trial aims to evaluate the long-term effect of an early Qigong exercise and acupressure rehabilitation program on patients with severe COVID-19.The intervention group received qigong exercise and acupressure therapy, plus standard therapies. The control group received standard therapies.The study was a single-center, parallel, randomized, prospective follow-up study. The outcomes of the study included changes in the modified Borg dyspnea scale (MBS), the modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale (mMRC), the patient health questionnaire-9 scale (PHQ-9), the activity of daily living (ADL), the remaining clinical symptoms and any intervention related adverse events.
Results:
The intervention group showed a statistically significant improvement in the mMRC scores (-0.4, 95 % CI (-0.6, 0.2), P < 0.001) and the MBS scores (-0.6, 95 % CI (-0.9, -0.3), P < 0.001) after 14 months of discharge compared with the control group. At 28 months of discharge, the intervention group, compared with the control group alone, significantly increased their MBS scores (-0.4, 95 % CI (-0.7, -0.1), P = 0.024) and a significantly decreased positive rate of dyspnea symptoms after 14 months of discharge (P < 0.05). However, ADL and PHQ-9 scores showed no significant difference between the two groups during the follow-up (P > 0.05).
Conclusions:
QARP had long-term sustained efficacy for dyspnea, chest tightness, and cough in patients with COVID-19, especially in young and middle-aged patients, and the effect was significant at the 14th month of follow-up.
Trial registration:
This trial was registered at the China Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2100044572).
Keywords: Acupressure; COVID-19; Qigong; Randomized controlled trial.
PMID: 39399822 PMCID: PMC11465148 DOI: 10.1016/j.imr.2024.101084
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