Successful treatment with hydrogen rich water in a case of chronic graft-versus-host-disease
Qian LR, Shen JL. · Medical Gas Research. 2016;6(3):177–179.
Study at a glance
Human
A 54-year-old man with severe chronic graft-versus-host disease three years after allogeneic stem-cell transplantation for myelodysplastic syndrome, with symptoms uncontrolled by prednisone and tacrolimus.
Hydrogen-rich water 500 mL three times daily was added while prednisone 10 mg/day and tacrolimus 0.5 mg continued and were tapered over three months. · The article reports 0.6 mmol/L dissolved H₂ and 1,500 mL/day total water volume.
Clinical characteristics were reassessed after 3 and 6 months.
The article reports improvement in the patient's clinical characteristics at 3 and 6 months, tapering of prednisone and tacrolimus over three months, and survival with good reported quality of life at publication. No control, blinded assessment or counterfactual is available.
A single uncontrolled case cannot establish causality. Improvement could reflect concurrent immunosuppression, tapering decisions, disease fluctuation or other care. This publication preceded and is distinct from the later 24-patient phase-2 study. Funding came from the Innovative Cultivation Foundation of Chinese Navy General Hospital (CXPY201603); authors declared no competing interests.
What kind of evidence is this?
Human
Single-patient case report
Immune and inflammatory conditions
H₂-rich water
Information not yet classified
Some editorial classification fields are still pending. The source-reported outcomes and result are shown below; Hydrogenology does not infer a positive or negative signal from prose automatically.
Methods
A 54-year-old man with severe chronic graft-versus-host disease three years after allogeneic stem-cell transplantation for myelodysplastic syndrome, with symptoms uncontrolled by prednisone and tacrolimus.
One patient.
Clinical characteristics were reassessed after 3 and 6 months.
Hydrogen-rich water 500 mL three times daily was added while prednisone 10 mg/day and tacrolimus 0.5 mg continued and were tapered over three months.
H₂ dissolved in drinking water — H₂ only, not Brown's gas.
The article reports 0.6 mmol/L dissolved H₂ and 1,500 mL/day total water volume.
None.
Outcomes and reported result
NIH chronic-GVHD clinical characteristics, immunosuppressant taper and descriptive quality-of-life status.
The article reports improvement in the patient's clinical characteristics at 3 and 6 months, tapering of prednisone and tacrolimus over three months, and survival with good reported quality of life at publication. No control, blinded assessment or counterfactual is available.
The complete PubMed Central case report, dose, concentration, concurrent drugs, follow-up, funding and conflict statement were checked.
A reported association, difference or mechanism is not automatically a clinical benefit.
Limitations and applicability
A single uncontrolled case cannot establish causality. Improvement could reflect concurrent immunosuppression, tapering decisions, disease fluctuation or other care. This publication preceded and is distinct from the later 24-patient phase-2 study. Funding came from the Innovative Cultivation Foundation of Chinese Navy General Hospital (CXPY201603); authors declared no competing interests.
Descriptive experience in one person with refractory chronic GVHD; not evidence of treatment efficacy.
No single-study GRADE certainty rating is assigned. Read how records and evidence assessments are prepared.
Sources and record status
PMID: 27867488 · DOI: 10.4103/2045-9912.191366
Free full article on PubMed Central.
PubMed metadata and complete PubMed Central article; full-text extraction checked 8 August 2026.
10 August 2026
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