Major positive news for 100 million COPD patients! Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the most common chronic respiratory disease in China and the third most prevalent chronic disease after hypertension and diabetes, having become a major public health issue that seriously threatens the health of the Chinese population. On September 13, the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration jointly issued the Notice on Effectively Implementing the 2024 Basic Public Health Service Program (Guo Wei Ji Ceng Fa [2024] No. 31), under which health services for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were included in the National Basic Public Health Service Program.
Screenshot of the National Health Commission announcement
The inclusion of COPD in the National Basic Public Health Service Program by the National Health Commission marks a significant step forward in China’s prevention and control of chronic respiratory diseases!
Speech by Academician Zhong Nanshan：
I am very pleased to see that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD, has been officially included in the National Basic Public Health Service Program.
This achievement is inseparable from strong national support and the concerted efforts of all parties involved. As a medical professional working in the field of respiratory medicine, I feel deeply encouraged and full of anticipation for the future. I believe that this initiative will bring tremendous benefits to COPD patients across our country and will also make a positive contribution to the development of China’s public health undertaking.
COPD is a very common chronic respiratory disease. At present, the population of COPD patients in our country is extremely large—nearly 100 million people—and approximately one million people die from COPD each year. The typical symptoms of COPD include cough, sputum production, shortness of breath, and dyspnea, which tend to worsen over time, particularly with progressive respiratory difficulty. If not detected in a timely manner or treated in a standardized way, COPD can easily lead to acute exacerbations and even death; therefore, COPD is the third leading single cause of death in our country.
Although COPD cannot currently be completely cured, early pulmonary function testing, early detection, and standardized treatment—such as adherence to inhaled medications prescribed by physicians—can effectively control disease progression. Community hospitals and township health centers, as primary-level healthcare institutions, serve as the frontline for COPD prevention and management, playing a critical role in screening high-risk populations, smoking cessation interventions, long-term follow-up management, and rehabilitation therapy. With COPD included in the National Basic Public Health Service Program, the service capacity of primary-level healthcare institutions will undoubtedly be further strengthened. High-quality medical resources should continue to be extended to the grassroots level, enabling the general public to access more convenient, efficient, and standardized medical services close to home.
At the same time, I call on everyone to pay greater attention to COPD, enhance awareness, and implement standardized treatment. Let us work together to advance the realization of a Healthy China!
02
Hydrogen-Oxygen vs. COPD
Hydrogen-oxygen therapy has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic effects. Hydrogen can directly react with hydroxyl radicals, forming the basis for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, while oxygen plays an important role in enhancing mitochondrial energy production and improving blood oxygen saturation. Using hydrogen-oxygen therapy to combat COPD and other respiratory diseases holds significant value!
To this end, the team led by Zhong Nanshan designed a multicenter, clinical, parallel, randomized, double-blind controlled trial of hydrogen-oxygen mixed inhalation (using the Asclepius Meditec hydrogen-oxygen generator in the study) for COPD, primarily investigating whether hydrogen-oxygen mixed gas therapy is superior to oxygen therapy in improving symptoms in patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) [1].
During the trial, BCSS score analyses were performed, demonstrating that hydrogen-oxygen mixed inhalation therapy is superior to oxygen therapy!
BCSS: Breathlessness, Cough, and Sputum Scale; higher BCSS scores indicate more severe dyspnea, cough, and sputum production. In the figure, blue represents the hydrogen-oxygen group and red represents the oxygen group.
This trial is currently recognized as the world’s first multicenter, randomized, controlled study investigating the efficacy of hydrogen-oxygen mixed inhalation in patients with AECOPD, and confirmed that hydrogen-oxygen mixed inhalation therapy provides superior efficacy in improving respiratory function in patients with AECOPD.
Summary
Based on the role of hydrogen-oxygen mixed inhalation in the prevention and management of COPD, and with the implementation of the national policy to include COPD in the National Basic Public Health Service Program, this represents a major positive development for the advancement and dissemination of hydrogen-oxygen medicine and heralds significant new opportunities ahead!
References:
[1] Nan Shan Zhonget 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
