Exploring the mechanism of lung-clearing and purging therapy in treating severe pneumonia based on the theory of “lung and large intestine being internally and externally related”
基于“肺与大肠相表里”理论探讨通腑泻肺法治疗重症肺炎的机制

摘要

目的 探究基于“肺与大肠相表里”理论采用通腑泻肺法治疗重症肺炎的效果和作用机制。方法 纳入本院2023年4月-2025年4月收治重症肺炎患者，共入组22例。依照随机数字表法划分2个小组，对照组（n=11）予以常规西医治疗，观察组（n=11）在此基础上予以通腑泻肺法治疗。根据临床治疗效果、中医证候积分、炎症因子评价2组治疗情况。结果 与对照组临床总有效率比较，观察组存在明显提高，组间有统计学差异（P＜0.05）。中医证候积分（痰壅、气促、咳嗽、发热）评估显示，观察组治疗后各项得分相较对照组下降，组间有统计学差异（P＜0.05）。炎症因子[白细胞介素-6（IL-6）、肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）、C反应蛋白（CRP）]检测显示，观察组治疗后各指标水平相较对照组下降，组间有统计学差异（P＜0.05）。结论 基于“肺与大肠相表里”理论采用通腑泻肺法治疗重症肺炎能提升临床疗效，有效缓解中医证候，其机制可能和减轻炎症反应有关。

Abstract

Objective To explore the efficacy and mechanism of lung-clearing and purging therapy in treating severe pneumonia based on the theory of “lung and large intestine being internally and externally related.”
Methods Twenty-two patients with severe pneumonia admitted to our hospital from April 2023 to April 2025 were included. They were randomly divided into two groups: a control group (n=11) receiving routine Western medicine treatment, and an observation group (n=11) receiving lung-clearing and purging therapy in addition to routine Western medicine treatment. The treatment outcomes of the two groups were evaluated based on clinical efficacy, TCM syndrome scores, and inflammatory factors.
Results The total effective rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). The TCM syndrome scores (phlegm accumulation, shortness of breath, cough, fever) showed a decrease in all categories after treatment in the observation group compared to the control group (P<0.05). The detection of inflammatory factors [interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP)] showed that the levels of each indicator in the observation group decreased compared with the control group after treatment, and the differences between the groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05).
Conclusion   Based on the theory of "lung and large intestine being internally and externally related," the method of purging the lungs and clearing the bowels can improve the clinical efficacy of treating severe pneumonia and effectively alleviate TCM syndromes. Its mechanism may be related to reducing the inflammatory response.