Effect of Use of Walnut Leaf Tea on Reduction of Exacerbation Frequency and Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of tea prepared with walnut leaves used by patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in addition to their own medical treatments on exacerbation frequency, dyspnea score and life comfort. Materials and Methods: The structure of this study was planned as a quasi-experimental research. It was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. 80 patients who were diagnosed with COPD and accepted to participate in the study at the outpatient clinics of the Chest Diseases Department of Atatürk University Faculty of Medicine were divided into two groups consisting of patients selected with the cluster sampling method. The first group consisted of 40 randomly selected patients who consumed walnut leaf tea in addition to their COPD treatment, while the second group consisted of 40 patients who only received their own medical treatment and did not use any complementary medicine method. When the participants came to the study, their complete blood count values were seen, GOLD staging was performed according to spirometry values, mMRC (Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale), CAT (COPD Assessment Test), Katz daily living activities scale (ADL) were applied, and a combined COPD assessment was made. Both groups were followed up for 6-month periods and the follow-up was terminated after 3 interviews. Results: 80 volunteers participated in the study. The average age of the patients was 67.1±7 years and 57.5 % of them were male, 42.5 % were smokers and 56.3 % were COPD stage 2. At the end of the year, the rate of hospital admissions in participants who did not drink walnut leaf tea was 85% while the rate of hospital admissions in participants who drank tea was 17.5% and the difference between them was significant p=0.00. The rate of patients who were planned to change treatment due to exacerbation was 7.5% in participants who drank tea and 40% in participants who did not drink it and the difference between them was significant p=0.00. At the end of the year, there was a significant difference in terms of the decrease in CAT score between patients who drank tea and those who did not drink it, p=0.007. Conclusion: It was determined that among COPD patients, those who consumed walnut leaf tea in addition to their treatment had fewer exacerbations, fewer hospital admissions and fewer hospital stays, and their comfort of life was positively affected by this situation.