Etiology， Pathogenesis， Syndrome Differentiation and Treatment Rules of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Traditional Chinese Medicine
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20251823
- VernacularTitle:慢性阻塞性肺疾病中医病因病机及证治规律探讨
- Author:
Qinjun YANG
1
;
Mingxiang HAN
2
;
Limei WEI
3
;
Shuyu XU
1
;
Lu ZHANG
1
;
Cheng YANG
1
;
Jiabing TONG
1
;
Zegeng LI
3
Author Information
1. School of Traditional Chinese Medicine（TCM）， Anhui University of Chinese Medicine， Hefei 230038，China
2. The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine， Hefei 230031，China
3. Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory for the Application and Transformation of TCM in the Prevention and Treatment of Major Pulmonary Diseases， Hefei 230031，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;
etiology and pathogenesis;
evolution rules;
syndrome differentiation and treatment rules;
review
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2026;32(21):226-234
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD） is a respiratory disease characterized by airflow limitation， and its high morbidity and disability rates pose a severe challenge to global public health. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has demonstrated definite efficacy and distinctive characteristics in the treatment of COPD. Based on the understanding of ancient and modern physicians regarding the etiology， pathogenesis， and stage-based syndrome differentiation of COPD， this article systematically elaborates on the etiology， pathogenesis， and clinical principles of syndrome differentiation and treatment of COPD. COPD is characterized by deficiency at root and excess in manifestation， with the coexistence of deficiency and excess. Qi deficiency is the fundamental pathogenesis underlying the occurrence and development of COPD and runs throughout the entire disease course. The disease begins with deficiency of lung qi and gradually affects the spleen and kidney， leading to the internal generation of dampness， phlegm， and blood stasis. Phlegm and blood stasis are not only pathological products but also deep-rooted causes of recurrent disease. Together with qi deficiency， they are mutually causal and form a vicious cycle. During the acute exacerbation stage of COPD， phlegm and blood stasis constitute the predominant underlying pathology and are often induced by invasion of pathogenic factors due to deficiency of healthy Qi. In addition， innovative understandings of the etiology and pathogenesis of COPD have emerged from the perspectives of collateral disease， latent pathogens， smoke toxins， and dysfunction of the Shaoyang pivot. During the stable stage， deficiency of Qi in the lung， spleen， and kidney predominates and is often accompanied by phlegm and blood stasis. In the clinical differentiation and treatment of COPD， treatment should be based on different disease stages and syndrome characteristics. During the acute exacerbation stage， eliminating pathogenic factors is the primary principle， with treatment determined according to syndrome differentiation. For wind-cold attacking the lung， the treatment is to ventilate the lung， disperse cold， and relieve cough. For phlegm-dampness accumulating in the lung， the treatment is to dry dampness， resolve phlegm， and direct qi downward. For phlegm-heat obstructing the lung， the treatment is to clear the lung， resolve phlegm， and relieve asthma. For phlegm and blood stasis obstructing the lung， the treatment is to eliminate phlegm， remove blood stasis， and relieve asthma. During the stable stage， reinforcing healthy Qi is the key principle. For lung-spleen qi deficiency， the treatment is to tonify the lung and strengthen the spleen， resolve phlegm， and direct Qi downward to relieve asthma. For deficiency of both lung and kidney， the treatment is to tonify the lung and benefit the kidney， resolve phlegm， promote Qi reception， and relieve asthma. When accompanied by phlegm and blood stasis， the treatment should focus on tonifying deficiency， resolving phlegm， and removing blood stasis. This article aims to systematically summarize the TCM etiology， pathogenesis， syndrome differentiation and treatment principles of COPD， as well as the current shortcomings in related research， in order to provide a reference for the clinical treatment of COPD with TCM， give full play to the advantages of TCM in the prevention and treatment of COPD， and optimize the whole-course management of COPD.
