• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.1229-1238
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• 2022

Background: We present a case of asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease syndrome (ACOS), which has features of both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in a 63-year-old man treated with Korean medicine. Methods: For four weeks of hospitalization, the patient received acupuncture, Guarujisil-tang decoction, and herbal steam therapy. The main symptoms of ACOS, which are dyspnea, chest discomfort, and throat discomfort, were treated with acupuncture. Guarujisil-tang decoction and herbal steam therapy were administered to relieve cough and smooth the expectoration of mucus. Results: By the end of hospitalization, no significant change was observed in lung function. However, the patient's subjective symptoms, including dyspnea, chest discomfort, sore throat, and sweating, were improved. The patient's objective sign of opaque yellow mucus changed to clear mucus after the treatment. His scores for the quality of life questionnaire for adult Korean asthmatics and the modified Borg scale also showed improvement from 42 to 62 and from 3 to 1, respectively. Conclusions: Although we reported only one ACOS case, this study is significant in that case reports of ACOS treated with Korean medicine are rare. Further study is needed to confirm the effectiveness of Korean medicine in patients with ACOS.