International Journal of Clinical Research

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and airway remodeling mechanism of the sequential therapy of 'clearing the lungs and resolving phlegm combined with acupoint embedding' in the treatment of ACOS with phlegm-heat congested lung syndrome. Methods This study enrolled 67 patients with ACOS and phlegm-heat congested lung syndrome from January 2024 to January 2025. The participants were randomly divided into two groups using a random number table. The conventional group received standard therapy for clearing the lungs and resolving phlegm, while the study group received the sequential therapy of 'clearing the lungs and resolving phlegm combined with acupoint embedding.' Clinical efficacy, treatment duration, length of hospital stay, changes in pulmonary function indicators and inflammatory factor levels, and quality of life were compared between the two groups. Results The overall treatment effectiveness in the study group was significantly better than that in the conventional group (P<0.05). In terms of treatment duration, the study group had significantly shorter treatment courses and hospital stays compared to the conventional group (P<0.05). Pulmonary function tests showed that the improvement in key indicators such as FEV1 and FVC was significantly greater in the study group than in the conventional group (P<0.05). Inflammatory marker measurements indicated that the reduction in serum levels of inflammatory factors such as IL-6 and TNF-α was larger in the study group than in the conventional group (P<0.05). The study group also had higher quality of life scores than the conventional group (P<0.05). Conclusion The sequential therapy of 'clearing the lungs and resolving phlegm combined with acupoint embedding' can significantly improve the clinical efficacy in patients with ACOS and phlegm-heat congested lung syndrome, shorten treatment duration and hospital stays, enhance lung function, suppress inflammatory responses to regulate airway remodeling, and improve quality of life, demonstrating high clinical application value.

Asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS); Phlegm-heat congested lung syndrome; Clearing the lungs and resolving phlegm; Acupoint embedding; Sequential therapy; Airway remodeling; Pulmonary function; Inflammatory factors