What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a narrative review following PRISMA 2020 guidelines to synthesize evidence on hyperbaric oxygen therapy's immunological effects and its impact on peripheral immune tolerance.
What They Found
The review included 39 articles, revealing that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disease models was often linked to an expansion of regulatory T cells. HBOT also suppressed T helper 17-related inflammatory pathways, recalibrating peripheral tolerance thresholds and improving tissue inflammatory outcomes.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients with certain autoimmune or chronic inflammatory conditions might benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy as it appears to modulate immune responses. This therapy could potentially help rebalance the immune system and reduce inflammation, offering a new avenue for managing these challenging diseases.
Canadian Relevance
This narrative review does not have a direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
A key limitation was the substantial heterogeneity in treatment parameters and immune endpoints across the included studies, hindering a unified interpretive framework.