A clinico-radiological evidence of Ayurvedic management for presumed inflammatory/idiopathic pleural effusion: case report.

Authors

Amit Nakanekar, Yogita Pole

Published in

Frontiers in medicine. Volume 13. Pages 1803298. Epub Jul 14, 2026.

Abstract

Pleural effusion is a common cause of respiratory morbidity and may present diagnostic and therapeutic challenges, particularly in resource-limited settings. This case report describes the clinical observations of a clinically stable patient with presumed inflammatory/idiopathic pleural effusion managed using a conservative, non-invasive Ayurvedic approach.
We present the case of a 34-year-old man who presented with progressive left-sided pleuritic chest pain [8/10 on the visual analogue scale (VAS)], exertional dyspnoea (shortness of breath with activity, grade 2 on the modified Medical Research Council scale and with a score of 3 on the Modified Borg Dyspnoea Scale), dry cough, chest discomfort, loss of appetite (anorexia), and irritability. Chest x-ray and ultrasonography confirmed a moderate left-sided pleural effusion. Sputum for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and for the cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test (CBNAAT) was negative. The patient was treated with classical Ayurvedic formulations (Lakshmivilas Rasa, Lakshadi Guggulu, and herbal powder combinations) for 12 days.
After treatment, the patient's dyspnoea resolved completely (mMRC Grade 0; Modified Borg Dyspnoea Scale score 0). Chest pain decreased markedly (VAS 1/10). Inflammatory markers were normalised. Follow-up chest x-ray showed near-complete radiological resolution of the pleural effusion without the need for pleural tapping.
This case report describes clinical and radiological improvements in a patient with presumed inflammatory/idiopathic pleural effusion managed using a safe, conservative, non-invasive, and cost-effective Ayurvedic approach. Although clinical and radiological improvements were observed, further well-designed, multicentre pragmatic studies incorporating standardised diagnostic evaluation, pleural fluid analysis, inflammatory biomarkers, and long-term follow-up are required to assess the reproducibility of these observations and explore potential causal relationships.

PMID:
42454148
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Jul 2026.

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