Preliminary study of a traditional Chinese medicine formula in systemic lupus erythematosus patients to taper steroid dose and prevent disease flare-up
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease. Prolonged complete remission is rare. Most patients with SLE need long-term treatment with glucocorticoid and immunomodulators. However, side effects because of the above medications are common. We evaluated the effect of a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2011-07-01
|
| Series: | Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1607551X11000751 |
| _version_ | 1831714966460170240 |
|---|---|
| author | Yen-Nung Liao Ching-Shen Liu Tong-Rong Tsai Yu-Chiang Hung Shun-Jen Chang Hong-Long Lin Ying-Chou Chen Han-Ming Lai Shan-Fu Yu Chung-Jen Chen |
| author_facet | Yen-Nung Liao Ching-Shen Liu Tong-Rong Tsai Yu-Chiang Hung Shun-Jen Chang Hong-Long Lin Ying-Chou Chen Han-Ming Lai Shan-Fu Yu Chung-Jen Chen |
| author_sort | Yen-Nung Liao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease. Prolonged complete remission is rare. Most patients with SLE need long-term treatment with glucocorticoid and immunomodulators. However, side effects because of the above medications are common. We evaluated the effect of adding-on Dan-Chi-Liu-Wei combination (DCLWC) on SLE patients with conventional therapy in tapering steroid and preventing disease flare-up. This was a double-blind and randomized controlled trial. Sixty-six SLE patients were recruited into this study and 53 patients who fulfilled the 1997 revised criteria for the classification of SLE with an SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) score of 2–12 and a steroid (measured with prednisolone) daily dose of less than 20 mg/d were enrolled. The patients were randomized into either an experimental or control group. We checked the urine analysis, hemogram, liver function, renal function, C3, C4, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and anti-dsDNA, evaluated the SLEDAI score, and recorded the steroid dose at 0 months, 3 months, and 6 months, respectively. After 6 months of study, the C4 and blood urea nitrogen level revealed a statistically significant difference in either group. There was a tendency toward a decreased SLEDAI score in the experimental group (p=0.083) but not in the control group (p=0.867). The steroid dose was not statistically significant in either group. Renal function and liver function revealed no statistically significant statistics changes in either group. Adding-on DCLWC to conventional therapy for the treatment of SLE was safe and might have a borderline effect in decreasing disease activity, but it was not possible to taper the dosage of steroid after 6 months of clinical trial. Therefore, a long-term follow-up and a large-scale study are necessary to confirm the effect of DCLWC. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T00:10:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e6c23c4db7d74d23b444923ce38015e2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1607-551X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T00:10:14Z |
| publishDate | 2011-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-e6c23c4db7d74d23b444923ce38015e22022-12-21T19:22:22ZengWileyKaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences1607-551X2011-07-0127725125710.1016/j.kjms.2011.03.001Preliminary study of a traditional Chinese medicine formula in systemic lupus erythematosus patients to taper steroid dose and prevent disease flare-upYen-Nung Liao0Ching-Shen Liu1Tong-Rong Tsai2Yu-Chiang Hung3Shun-Jen Chang4Hong-Long Lin5Ying-Chou Chen6Han-Ming Lai7Shan-Fu Yu8Chung-Jen Chen9Division of Chinese Internal Medicine, Department of Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, TaiwanDepartment of Chinese Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Chinese Medical Hospital, Kaohsiung, TaiwanSchool of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, TaiwanDivision of Chinese Internal Medicine, Department of Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, TaiwanSchool of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, TaiwanDepartment of Chinese Medicine, Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, TaiwanDivision of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, TaiwanDivision of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, TaiwanDivision of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, TaiwanSchool of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, TaiwanSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease. Prolonged complete remission is rare. Most patients with SLE need long-term treatment with glucocorticoid and immunomodulators. However, side effects because of the above medications are common. We evaluated the effect of adding-on Dan-Chi-Liu-Wei combination (DCLWC) on SLE patients with conventional therapy in tapering steroid and preventing disease flare-up. This was a double-blind and randomized controlled trial. Sixty-six SLE patients were recruited into this study and 53 patients who fulfilled the 1997 revised criteria for the classification of SLE with an SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) score of 2–12 and a steroid (measured with prednisolone) daily dose of less than 20 mg/d were enrolled. The patients were randomized into either an experimental or control group. We checked the urine analysis, hemogram, liver function, renal function, C3, C4, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and anti-dsDNA, evaluated the SLEDAI score, and recorded the steroid dose at 0 months, 3 months, and 6 months, respectively. After 6 months of study, the C4 and blood urea nitrogen level revealed a statistically significant difference in either group. There was a tendency toward a decreased SLEDAI score in the experimental group (p=0.083) but not in the control group (p=0.867). The steroid dose was not statistically significant in either group. Renal function and liver function revealed no statistically significant statistics changes in either group. Adding-on DCLWC to conventional therapy for the treatment of SLE was safe and might have a borderline effect in decreasing disease activity, but it was not possible to taper the dosage of steroid after 6 months of clinical trial. Therefore, a long-term follow-up and a large-scale study are necessary to confirm the effect of DCLWC.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1607551X11000751Anti-dsDNAComplementary and alternative medicineSteroidSystemic lupus erythematosusTraditional Chinese medicine |
| spellingShingle | Yen-Nung Liao Ching-Shen Liu Tong-Rong Tsai Yu-Chiang Hung Shun-Jen Chang Hong-Long Lin Ying-Chou Chen Han-Ming Lai Shan-Fu Yu Chung-Jen Chen Preliminary study of a traditional Chinese medicine formula in systemic lupus erythematosus patients to taper steroid dose and prevent disease flare-up Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences Anti-dsDNA Complementary and alternative medicine Steroid Systemic lupus erythematosus Traditional Chinese medicine |
| title | Preliminary study of a traditional Chinese medicine formula in systemic lupus erythematosus patients to taper steroid dose and prevent disease flare-up |
| title_full | Preliminary study of a traditional Chinese medicine formula in systemic lupus erythematosus patients to taper steroid dose and prevent disease flare-up |
| title_fullStr | Preliminary study of a traditional Chinese medicine formula in systemic lupus erythematosus patients to taper steroid dose and prevent disease flare-up |
| title_full_unstemmed | Preliminary study of a traditional Chinese medicine formula in systemic lupus erythematosus patients to taper steroid dose and prevent disease flare-up |
| title_short | Preliminary study of a traditional Chinese medicine formula in systemic lupus erythematosus patients to taper steroid dose and prevent disease flare-up |
| title_sort | preliminary study of a traditional chinese medicine formula in systemic lupus erythematosus patients to taper steroid dose and prevent disease flare up |
| topic | Anti-dsDNA Complementary and alternative medicine Steroid Systemic lupus erythematosus Traditional Chinese medicine |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1607551X11000751 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yennungliao preliminarystudyofatraditionalchinesemedicineformulainsystemiclupuserythematosuspatientstotapersteroiddoseandpreventdiseaseflareup AT chingshenliu preliminarystudyofatraditionalchinesemedicineformulainsystemiclupuserythematosuspatientstotapersteroiddoseandpreventdiseaseflareup AT tongrongtsai preliminarystudyofatraditionalchinesemedicineformulainsystemiclupuserythematosuspatientstotapersteroiddoseandpreventdiseaseflareup AT yuchianghung preliminarystudyofatraditionalchinesemedicineformulainsystemiclupuserythematosuspatientstotapersteroiddoseandpreventdiseaseflareup AT shunjenchang preliminarystudyofatraditionalchinesemedicineformulainsystemiclupuserythematosuspatientstotapersteroiddoseandpreventdiseaseflareup AT honglonglin preliminarystudyofatraditionalchinesemedicineformulainsystemiclupuserythematosuspatientstotapersteroiddoseandpreventdiseaseflareup AT yingchouchen preliminarystudyofatraditionalchinesemedicineformulainsystemiclupuserythematosuspatientstotapersteroiddoseandpreventdiseaseflareup AT hanminglai preliminarystudyofatraditionalchinesemedicineformulainsystemiclupuserythematosuspatientstotapersteroiddoseandpreventdiseaseflareup AT shanfuyu preliminarystudyofatraditionalchinesemedicineformulainsystemiclupuserythematosuspatientstotapersteroiddoseandpreventdiseaseflareup AT chungjenchen preliminarystudyofatraditionalchinesemedicineformulainsystemiclupuserythematosuspatientstotapersteroiddoseandpreventdiseaseflareup |