How has molecular hydrogen been studied in autoimmune conditions?
27 papers: 21 human studies, 4 reviews and 2 animal or cell studies from 2024 onward.
All returned Europe PMC MED and PMC title and abstract records were checked. Human studies have no lower publication year limit through 29 October 2026; animal and cell studies are limited to 2024 onward. Reviews are grouped separately from primary studies. This is an abstract screened inventory, not a systematic review guaranteeing all relevant literature. Each group is sorted by first publication date, newest first. Composite nanomaterials that generate hydrogen locally are excluded.
Checked 2026-10-29 · 56 records searched
Randomized human studies1
24 people with rheumatoid arthritis were randomized under double blinding to 500 mL intravenous hydrogen saline or placebo daily for five days; joint scores and blood and urine markers were assessed through four weeks.
Int Immunopharmacol · 2014 · PMID 24929023
Nonrandomized controlled human studies1
25 people with autoimmune and related conditions received 170 mg of hydrogen enriched coral calcium orally each day for three months. Immune cell profiles were compared with 15 untreated rheumatoid arthritis patients and fatigue questionnaires were recorded. Randomization is not described.
APMIS · 2025 · PMID 40590161
Human studies without a control group3
Blood markers were observed after hydrogen water bathing in healthy volunteers and people with connective tissue diseases. A further six patients with autoimmune related conditions bathed daily for 2 to 25 months. The total participant count is not stated in the abstract.
Med Gas Res · 2022 · PMID 34854419
24 people with corticosteroid refractory or dependent chronic graft versus host disease drank hydrogen rich water at 4 mL/kg three times daily in a multicenter single arm phase 2 study; organ assessments were performed every three months.
Front Immunol · 2020 · PMID 33324415
20 people with rheumatoid arthritis drank 530 mL of hydrogen rich water daily for four weeks, paused for four weeks and repeated intake for four weeks; joint scores and urinary 8-OHdG were measured in an open label study.
Med Gas Res · 2012 · PMID 23031079
Human case reports16
A case involving a 72 year old woman with Sjögren syndrome and interstitial lung disease, receiving oral hydrogen capsules alongside prior medication; investigators recorded lung function, CT and immune cells. No control group.
SAGE Open Med Case Rep · 2026 · PMID 42255997
A case involving a 76 year old man with empyema and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, receiving oral hydrogen after thoracoscopic surgery; investigators recorded serial immune cell profiles. No control group.
In Vivo · 2026 · PMID 42049414
A case involving a 67 year old woman with Behçet disease and Sjögren syndrome, receiving oral hydrogen capsules alongside existing medication; investigators recorded oral ulcers, autoantibodies and immune cells. No control group.
In Vivo · 2026 · PMID 41760342
A case involving a 47 year old man with overlapping rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, receiving oral hydrogen capsules alongside rituximab and other medication; investigators recorded immune cells and autoantibodies. No control group.
In Vivo · 2026 · PMID 41482402
A case involving a 42 year old woman with lupus and pulmonary arterial hypertension, receiving oral hydrogen capsules as an additional intervention; investigators recorded serial T and B cell profiles. No control group.
In Vivo · 2026 · PMID 41482388
A case involving an 85 year old woman with rheumatoid arthritis, receiving molecular hydrogen alongside existing medication; investigators recorded fatigue questionnaires and immune cells. No control group.
In Vivo · 2025 · PMID 41167690
A case involving a 45 year old woman with lupus and pulmonary arterial hypertension, receiving oral hydrogen capsules followed by discontinuation; investigators recorded immune cells during intake and after discontinuation. No control group.
In Vivo · 2025 · PMID 41167678
A case involving a 27 year old woman with lupus and malar rash, receiving oral molecular hydrogen alongside hydroxychloroquine; investigators recorded rash, immune cells and autoantibodies. No control group.
SAGE Open Med Case Rep · 2025 · PMID 40964664
A case involving a 49 year old woman with lupus, pericarditis and pleuritis, receiving molecular hydrogen alongside immunomodulatory medication; investigators recorded serial T and B cell profiles. No control group.
In Vivo · 2025 · PMID 40877145
A case involving a 66 year old woman with rheumatoid arthritis and myelosuppression, receiving molecular hydrogen after medication withdrawal; investigators recorded blood counts, liver and kidney tests and immune cells. No control group.
In Vivo · 2025 · PMID 40579028
A case involving a 69 year old woman with Sjögren syndrome, lupus and interstitial lung disease, receiving molecular hydrogen alongside existing medication and vitamin C; investigators recorded lung imaging, immune cells and fatigue. No control group.
In Vivo · 2025 · PMID 40579023
A case involving a 44 year old man with primary biliary cholangitis, receiving oral hydrogen capsules alongside existing medication; investigators recorded liver enzymes and immune markers over four months. No control group.
In Vivo · 2025 · PMID 40295001
A case involving a 51 year old woman with lupus and heart failure, receiving molecular hydrogen alongside steroids and immunomodulators; investigators recorded autoantibodies, immune cells, cardiac tests and fatigue. No control group.
In Vivo · 2025 · PMID 40010949
A case involving an 89 year old woman with lupus, diabetic nephropathy and coronary artery disease, receiving oral hydrogen capsules alongside existing care; investigators recorded kidney tests, fatigue questionnaires and immune cells. No control group.
In Vivo · 2025 · PMID 39740897
A case involving a 44 year old woman with subarachnoid hemorrhage, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, receiving hydrogen capsules after surgery, medication and plasmapheresis; investigators recorded immune cells and autoantibodies. No control group.
In Vivo · 2024 · PMID 39477420
One person with severe chronic graft versus host disease drank hydrogen rich water in a case report. Dose and duration are not stated in the abstract.
Med Gas Res · 2016 · PMID 27867488
Reviews, systematic reviews and meta analyses4
A review of molecular hydrogen delivery routes and regulatory T cell measurements in autoimmune and inflammatory research. The abstract does not state an included study count.
Drug Des Devel Ther · 2026 · PMID 42668873
A review of 45 molecular hydrogen papers on musculoskeletal conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis: 25 preclinical studies and 20 clinical trials; water, inhalation and infusion routes are distinguished.
World J Orthop · 2026 · PMID 41608485
A review of clinical and experimental molecular hydrogen literature in hematological conditions, including graft versus host disease. The abstract does not state an included study count.
Oxid Med Cell Longev · 2019 · PMID 31871547
A review of molecular hydrogen and oxidative stress research in rheumatoid arthritis, covering clinical and experimental literature. The abstract does not state an included study count.
Curr Pharm Des · 2013 · PMID 23859555
Animal and cell studies from 20242
An experimental DSS colitis model received hydrogen inhalation; gut microbiota, intestinal barriers and T cells were examined, alongside fecal microbiota transplantation. Species and animal count are not explicitly stated in the abstract.
Int Immunopharmacol · 2025 · PMID 41076929
Mice with experimental autoimmune myocarditis inhaled 2% hydrogen twice daily for three hours per session for 21 days; echocardiography, tissue, immune and cell death markers were assessed. Animal count is not stated in the abstract.
Clin Immunol · 2025 · PMID 40812663
Excluded 29 of 56 records: 10 Other topic or broad review without a separately described autoimmune hydrogen evidence set; 4 Local hydrogen generating composite nanomaterials outside the administered hydrogen scope; 12 Animal or cell research before 2024; 2 Hydrogen sulfide or cyanide rather than molecular hydrogen; 1 Hypothesis proposing experiments, not a completed study.
View the search query
TITLE_ABS:("molecular hydrogen" OR "hydrogen gas" OR "hydrogen inhalation" OR "inhaled hydrogen" OR "hydrogen oxygen" OR oxyhydrogen OR "hydrogen rich") AND TITLE_ABS:("rheumatoid arthritis" OR autoimmune OR "graft versus host" OR "graft-versus-host") AND (SRC:MED OR SRC:PMC) AND FIRST_PDATE:[* TO 2026-10-29]
Search Europe PMCFrequently asked questions
Which delivery methods are distinguished?
Drinking hydrogen rich water, oral capsules, inhalation, infused hydrogen saline and bathing are distinguished. Accompanying medication is described in individual records.
How do case reports differ from randomized trials?
Case reports document administration and measurements in one person. Randomized trials allocate participants to comparison conditions at random. These designs are grouped separately.
Which years and how many papers are included?
There are 21 human papers without a lower year limit and 2 animal or cell papers from 2024 onward. The 4 review papers are shown separately.