As of the end of 2023, China’s population aged 60 years and above reached 290 million, accounting for 21.1% of the total population. At the same time, more than 190 million elderly people in China are living with chronic diseases, and an increasing number of older adults are coexisting long-term with chronic conditions, with the issue of “longevity without health” becoming increasingly prominent!
Chronic respiratory diseases are one of the four major categories of chronic diseases worldwide. According to epidemiological survey data, approximately 100 million people in China suffer from COPD, and about 45.7 million asthma patients require standardized treatment. This not only poses a serious threat to national health, but also constitutes a substantial disease burden!
On July 29, the National Health Commission, together with 13 other departments, jointly issued the Healthy China Action—Implementation Plan for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Respiratory Diseases (2024–2030) (hereinafter referred to as the “Implementation Plan”), to comprehensively advance the prevention and control of chronic respiratory diseases.
Hydrogen-oxygen medicine has broad application potential in disease prevention before onset and in addressing chronic disease prevention and management. The development of hydrogen-oxygen medicine aligns with the broader policy direction of the “Healthy China Action.” The introduction of the Implementation Plan represents a major positive policy signal for the development and dissemination of hydrogen-oxygen medicine and heralds significant new opportunities!
Implementation Plan for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Respiratory Diseases
Below are the key points from the Implementation Plan that we have identified as closely related to the promotion and development of hydrogen-oxygen medicine:
01 Establishment of respiratory outpatient clinics
The Implementation Plan states: “Promote tiered diagnosis and treatment for chronic respiratory diseases. Establish a collaborative division-of-labor mechanism among medical and health institutions… strengthen discipline development related to respiratory diseases at the county level, and promote leading county hospitals to establish respiratory outpatient clinics, continuously enhancing county-level diagnostic and treatment capacity for chronic respiratory diseases. ”
Hydrogen-oxygen mixed inhalation therapy, as an innovative approach, has significant research and practical value in the management of chronic respiratory diseases. At present, a “COPD hydrogen-oxygen outpatient clinic” has been established at Jinan Hospital (Jinan Rehabilitation Hospital), and an elderly respiratory disease “hydrogen-oxygen inhalation respiratory specialty ward” has been set up at Taian Central Hospital in Shandong Province.
Asclepius Meditec hydrogen-oxygen generators, as “National Innovation” medical devices, are exempt from “DRG/DIP”. Hydrogen-oxygen mixed inhalation therapy has successively been included in the medical insurance charging catalogs of Shandong Province, Jilin Province, and other regions, and has been listed by the Shandong Provincial Health Commission as a new technology for clinical application promotion.
02 Strengthening the allocation of diagnostic and therapeutic equipment
The Implementation Plan states: “Enhance the capacity of primary-level services for the prevention and control of chronic respiratory diseases… strengthen the provision of diagnostic and therapeutic equipment related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and medications for long-term treatment management in primary healthcare institutions, and promote health management for COPD patients at the primary level. ”
Currently, pharmacological antioxidant treatments for COPD and their clinical efficacy remain very limited, particularly for patients with severe COPD, for whom existing therapies are still unable to fully and effectively improve quality of life. Therefore, exploring new, effective COPD prevention and treatment approaches with minimal side effects is of significant practical importance.
In 2020, the team led by Academician Zhong Nanshan conducted a multicenter, clinical, parallel, randomized, double-blind controlled trial on hydrogen-oxygen mixed inhalation therapy for COPD, demonstrating that hydrogen-oxygen mixed inhalation therapy provides superior efficacy in improving respiratory function in patients with AECOPD (acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) [1].
Asclepius Meditec hydrogen-oxygen generators are National Innovation Class III medical devices, and hydrogen-oxygen mixed gas inhalation therapy has been applied in adult patients requiring hospitalization during acute exacerbations of COPD. Its indicated use is as an adjunctive therapy to improve symptoms (including dyspnea, cough, and sputum production) in adult patients during acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
03 Promoting preventive intervention before disease onset
The Implementation Plan states: “Leverage the role of traditional Chinese medicine in prevention, early intervention, and treatment. Give full play to the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in preventive treatment, and promote the application of various preventive intervention guidelines for chronic respiratory diseases. ”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, scholars from Ruijin Hospital, Zhongshan Hospital, Huashan Hospital, and other institutions jointly conducted “a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of hydrogen-oxygen nebulizers as adjunctive therapy for COVID-19,” with results showing that, compared with oxygen inhalation alone, hydrogen-oxygen inhalation shortened the time to viral negativity, reduced inflammatory cytokine levels, alleviated pulmonary lesions, and thereby reduced the occurrence of early severe cases[2].
04 Strengthening respiratory rehabilitation
The Implementation Plan states: “Strengthen respiratory rehabilitation. Enhance respiratory function assessment, exercise function assessment, and other measures… strengthen standardized management of pneumoconiosis rehabilitation stations. Explore the application of telemedicine and wearable devices in home-based rehabilitation and self-management for patients with chronic respiratory diseases.”
Hydrogen-oxygen medicine also has potential application prospects in the field of respiratory rehabilitation. Scholars from Shandong First Medical University conducted experimental research on the efficacy of hydrogen-oxygen mixed inhalation in the treatment of silicosis, and the related findings were published under the title “Hydrogen-Oxygen Gas Plus Tetrandrine Improves Silicosis in Animal Models” in the International Journal of Immunopharmacology [3], providing important evidence for future human trials!
05 Encouraging the development of chronic disease insurance
The Implementation Plan states: “Adopt comprehensive medical security measures. Ensure basic medical security for patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Encourage insurance companies to develop commercial health insurance products related to chronic respiratory diseases, deeply integrating health management before, during, and after illness, and effectively improving the overall health level of the population.”
For many years, Asclepius Meditec has collaborated with major insurance companies to develop models such as “buy health, get insurance” and “buy insurance, get health”, providing innovative technological solutions to address constraints in medical resource availability!
In summary
Act in accordance with the trend, and seize the momentum! Asclepius Meditec will continue to intensify its efforts, remain firmly focused on the clinical application of hydrogen-oxygen medicine, and contribute innovative hydrogen-oxygen solutions to the prevention and control of chronic respiratory diseases!
References:
[1] Nan-Shan Zhong et al., Hydrogen/oxygen therapy for the treatment of an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: results of a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group controlled trial, BMC, 2021
[2]Shi M M, Chen Y T, Wang X D, et al. The efficacy of hydrogen/oxygen therapy favored the recovery of omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant infection: results of a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial[J]. Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition, 2023: 23-32.
[3]Li J, et al. Hydrogen combined with tetrandrine attenuates silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis via suppressing NF-kappaB/NLRP3 signaling pathway-mediated epithelial mesenchymal transition and inflammation. Int Immunopharmacol. 2024 Jun 28;138:112563.
