A Case Report of Adjunctive Korean Medicine for Persistent Respiratory Symptoms after Infectious Exacerbation in a Patient with Bronchiectasis

Background: Bronchiectasis is characterized by chronic cough, sputum production, and impaired quality of life. In older adults, symptom burden may persist despite conventional management. Furthermore, chronic inflammatory and structural lung changes in bronchiectasis may complicate differentiation between infectious exacerbation and preexisting abnormalities on imaging. Evidence regarding adjunctive Korean medicine in this context remains limited.Case Presentation: A 71-year-old woman with bronchiectasis was hospitalized for persistent cough with yellow sputum, anorexia, and dyspepsia despite prior conventional management. During a 13-day hospitalization, she received acupuncture, indirect moxibustion, and herbal medicine in addition to ongoing conventional therapy. Herbal interventions included <i>Hyangsa-yangwi-tang</i> decoction and granules of Samsoeum plus Saengmaeksan.Results: Cough-related quality of life, cough severity, mood, overall health status, sputum burden, and dyspepsia improved over time, while liver enzyme levels remained stable.Conclusions: This case describes temporal improvement in respiratory symptoms and quality of life during adjunctive Korean medicine treatment in an older patient with bronchiectasis. However, causality cannot be established, and further prospective studies are warranted.