Two Older Adult Patients With Anorexia and Cachexia Following Refractory Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Complex Pulmonary Disease Given Acupuncture Treatment to Improve Appetite and Food Intake.
Tomonori Maekura, Keisuke Miki, Hiroshi Kida et al.
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Case in brief
Two older adults with refractory cavitary Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex pulmonary disease developed severe anorexia, dyspnea associated with eating, and cachexia. A man in his 70s weighed 35.4 kg (BMI 11.8 kg/m²), and a woman in her 60s weighed 31.0 kg (BMI 13.2 kg/m²). Both received manual acupuncture three times weekly for 3 weeks. Appetite, energy intake, body weight, and serum albumin improved, while sputum acid-fast bacillus smear status and radiographic findings remained unchanged. No adverse events were reported.
What made this case unusual
Acupuncture was used to address profound anorexia and cachexia in patients with refractory cavitary MAC pulmonary disease; nutritional measures improved without corresponding change in bacteriological or radiological disease activity.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
In these two cases, acupuncture was associated with improved appetite and nutritional measures despite persistent MAC-PD activity; it did not alter sputum smear status or imaging.
Why it matters
The report suggests acupuncture may be considered as adjunctive care for anorexia in this setting, while controlled studies are needed.