Analysis of the cytokine storm of refractory mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children from the perspective of"Wind-phlegm and stasis-deficiency"
Refractory mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia(RMPP)often arises from misdiagnoses or inade-quate treatments of mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia(MPP).The incidence rate among children is escalating an-nually,and if left untreated,it can lead to multi-organ damage.Traditional Chinese medicine offers potential benefits in treating this disease by revisiting classical methods and aligning them with the pathological changes observed in the disease.It suggests that a cytokine storm is the primary cause of severe pulmonary syndrome.This storm shares sim-ilarities with the pathogenesis induced by the evils of Wind-warmth and phlegm-stasis,with Deficiency manifesting at both the onset and conclusion of the disease.Based on the overarching framework of"Wind-phlegm and stasis-defi-ciency",the treatment for pediatric RMPP cytokine storm is divided into three phases:the prodromal stage,which re-quires catharsis to clear heat and dampness;the outbreak stage,during which stasis resolving and phlegm expelling should be used to unblock the lung collaterals;and the remission phase,during which strengthening the spleen and lungs to nourish qi and yin is emphasized.Prescription drugs are judiciously used in conjunction with external tradi-tional Chinese medicine techniques to improve clinical outcomes.