TCM and Western Medicine: Diagnosis and Treatment of Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia, A Case Study.

Context • Clinical-practice observations have revealed that novel coronavirus pneumonia is related to the dampness pathogen; most patients show a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), and patients with a severe form of the disease have sepsis. Objective • The current study aimed to explore the role of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and western medicine in the treatment of COVID-19. Design • The research team developed a case study. Setting • The study took place at the Nanchang Ninth Hospital in Nanchang, China. Participant • The participant was a 44-year-old female patient with diabetes who was a hepatitis B carrier. She was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with novel coronavirus pneumonia at admission. Intervention • She was treated for seven days with Western medicine, at which time the nucleic acid test for the virus was negative; however, she still had flaky glass shadows in the lungs. She was then treated with TCM. Results • The patient reached the discharge standard on February 29. A recheck was performed on March 6, six days after discharge. Her chest CT showed that the two lung lesions continued to be absorbed, and the viral nucleic acid test was negative. Conclusions • For diagnosis and treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia, the determination of the use of six channels or Wei-qi-Ying-blood differentiation needs to be combined with syndrome differentiation and to comply with the body’s process of eliminating pathogens. The recovery of qi, blood and body fluid, and SIRS should be taken into account [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]