Objectives: This study aimed to assess the correlation of exacerbation and the mortality rate in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) between biomedical treatments with or without Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) as an adjunct. Design: A total of 81,261 COPD patients were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan between 2001 and 2012. After screening and matching, 3176 COPD patients were included in the study. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the differences in the baseline characteristics. The authors used the Cox proportional hazard regression analysis to calculate the risks of mortality and hospitalization due to acute exacerbation of COPD within 1 year between a CHM user cohort and non-CHM user cohort. The cumulative incidence of mortality in COPD patients with or without CHM treatment was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: COPD patients in the CHM user cohort demonstrated a significantly lower risk of mortality (p < 0.001) and acute exacerbation (p < 0.05), compared with the non-CHM user cohort. In addition, the CHM users exhibited a reduced cumulative incidence of mortality compared with the non-CHM user cohort (p < 0.001). Xiao Qing Long Tang and Fritillariae thunbergii were the most common Chinese herbal formula and single Chinese herb prescribed for COPD patients. Conclusion: Combining CHM with biomedical treatment might reduce the risk of acute exacerbation and incidence of mortality in patients with COPD.
Keywords: Chinese herbal medicine; acute exacerbation; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; mortality; retrospective cohort study.