Clinical effects of hyperbaric oxygen combined with drug therapy in the treatment of chronic pelvic inflammatory disease and the possible mechanism involved

Objective To investigate the clinical effects of HBO combined with drug therapy in the treatment of chronic pelvic inflammatory disease and the underlying mechanism. Methods One hundred and twenty-four patients with chronic pelvic inflammation were randomly divided into the combined therapy group (HBO coupled with drug therapy) and the control group (pure drug therapy), each consisting of 62 patients. Before and after treatment, therapeutic efficacy was assessed in accordance with the symptoms, vital signs and ultrasonography examination. Blood samples were collected for the detection of C-reactive protein (CRP) and inflammatory cytokines(TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β). Results After 3 courses of treatment, total effective rates for the patients in the combined therapy group and the control group were respectively 90.3% and 74.2%, and statistical significance could be noted, when comparisons were made between the 2 groups (P<0.05). After 6 months of treatment, the recurrence rate of the patients in the combined therapy group(12.9%)was significantly lower than that of the patients in the control group(35.5%)(P<0.05), and statistical significance could be seen, when comparisons were made between them (P<0.05). Following treatment, the levels of serum CRP in the patients of both groups were all significantly decreased, with the serum CRP level of the combined therapy group being obviously lower than that of the control group (P<0.01), and statistical significance could be found, when comparisons were made between the 2 groups (P<0.01). Following treatment, the levels of serum TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in both groups declined significantly, with the levels of the combined therapy group declining more prominently, as compared with those of the control group, and statistical significance could also be seen, when comparisons were made between them (P<0.01). Conclusions The efficacy of HBO coupled with drug therapy was superior to that of pure drug therapy for the treatment of chronic pelvic inflammation. HBO exerted its effects by regulating the expression levels of CRP and inflammatory cytokines, and hopefully it might become an important accessory method for the treatment of chronic pelvic inflammation. Key words: Hyperbaric oxygen; Chronic pelvic inflammation; Drug therapy; Inflammatory cytokine