Application of Kampo Medicines for Treatment of General Fatigue Due to Long COVID

May 2022 in “ Medicina ”

Kazuki Tokumasu, Keigo Ueda, Hiroyuki Honda, Naruhiko Sunada, Yasue Sakurada, Yui Matsuda, Yasuhiro Nakano, Tomohiko Hasegawa, Yuki Otsuka, Mikako Obika, Hideharu Hagiya, Hitomi Kataoka, Fumio Otsuka

hair loss Kampo medicines hochuekkito qi deficiency

TLDR Kampo medicine can help treat general fatigue from long COVID.

This study at Okayama University Hospital analyzed 102 long COVID patients experiencing general fatigue, revealing that 24.1% of 609 prescriptions were Kampo medicines, with hochuekkito being the most common (71.6%). Symptoms included dysosmia, dysgeusia, headache, insomnia, dyspnea, and hair loss. The findings suggest Kampo medicines, especially those addressing qi deficiency, can be effective for general fatigue in long COVID patients. However, the study's single-center setting and subjective fatigue assessment are limitations, and further research is needed to understand the relationship between Kampo prescriptions and long COVID conditions.

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