[Cupping treatment combined with antibiotics for bacterial pneumonia in children: a randomized controlled trial].

Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy of cupping treatment combined with antibiotics and antibiotics alone for bacterial pneumonia in children.

Methods: A total of 72 children with bacterial pneumonia were randomly divided into an observation group (36 cases, 1 case dropped off) and a control group (36 cases). The children in the control group were treated with intravenous drip of cefodizine sodium [80 mg/(kg•d)] for 7 days. Based on the treatment of the control group, the children in the observation group were treated with cupping treatment on the bladder meridian of the back on the first day and the fourth day of antibiotic treatment; each cupping treatment was given for 5-10 min; the treatment of observation group was given for 7 days. The days for complete fever reduction, TCM syndrome scores and Canadian acute respiratory illness flu scale (CARIFS) scores before and after treatment were observed, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated.

Results: The days for complete fever reduction in the observation group were shorter than that in the control group (<0.05). After treatment, the TCM syndrome scores and CARIFS scores in the two groups were reduced (<0.05), and the cough score, expectoration score, lung auscultation score of TCM syndrome and cough score, runny nose score and sore throat score of CARIFS in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (<0.05). The cured rate in the observation group was 97.1% (34/35), which had no significant difference with 91.7% (33/36) in the control group (>0.05).

Conclusion: Cupping treatment combined with antibiotics has similar efficacy with antibiotics alone for bacterial pneumonia in children, but shows better effect in shortening the duration of fever and improving pulmonary symptoms.