Clinical applications of ozone: a review of 94 cases from Iraq

• Main Author: Abdullah Ahmed Mohammad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nab'a Al-Hayat Foundation for Medical Sciences and Health Care - Press 2018-03-01
• Series: Iraq Medical Journal
• Online Access: http://www.jocms.org/index.php/imj/article/view/344
• ISSN: 2523-1634; 2521-8492

Objectives Ozone (O3) has been used for medical purposes more than a century ago. Although, its precise mechanism of action is still unclear, many disease conditions are currently treated by ozone. In Iraq, the use of medical ozone is recent. Herein, we present our first experience. Methods This is a retrospective study of 94 patients (67 females and 27 males) with different painful disorders treated by ozone in a private clinic in Kirkuk, Iraq over 1 year period (July 1, 2016–June 30, 2017). Longevity resources EXT50 Ozone Generator with oxygen tank and CGA870 Oxygen Regulator were used. Ozone was prepared as, O2–O3, ozonized olive oil (OOO) or ozonized platelet rich plasma (OPRP) and given via subcutaneous (S), intra-muscular (IM) or intra-articular (IA) injections. A sample of patient’s own blood was used to prepare PRP by a process of two repeated centrifugation and then activated by passing ozone in a concentration of 68.7 gammas. A questionnaire was used to grade the patients’ responses as excellent, good, fair and poor. Z-test was used for statistical analysis. Results The mean age was 53 ± 15 years. The two major treated groups were osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee (n = 40) and lower back pain (LBP) (n = 22). Overall, ozone yielded excellent to good results in 68 patients (72.3%) and a poor outcome in 9 (9.5%) patients. Conclusion Ozone therapy is an inexpensive therapy, which seems to be safe and effective in palliating pain of OA and intervertebral disc herniation as well as other pain disorders.