Efficacy and advantages of modified Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments based on "kidney reinforcing" for chronic aplastic anemia:a randomized controlled clinical trial

• Published in: Journal of traditional Chinese medicine 2016-08, Vol.36 (4), p.434-443
• Main Authors: Wu, Dijiong, Shen, Yiping, Ye, Baodong, Fang, Bingmu, Lin, Shengyun, Chen, Zhilu, Jiang, Huifang, Feng, Changwei, He, Lüyuan, Gao, Yanting, Liu, Yonglin, Liu, Yonghua, Zhu, Jiajia, Wu, Liqiang, Shao, Keding, Keding, Shao, Zhou, Yuhong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Anemia, Aplastic - drug therapy; Anemia, Aplastic - immunology; Anemia, Aplastic - physiopathology; Anemia,aplastic; Reinforcing; blood; Randomized; Chronic Disease - drug therapy; controlled; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - administration & dosage; Female; Humans; ing; Interleukin-2 - immunology; Interleukin-4 - immunology; kidney; Kidney - drug effects; Kidney - physiopathology; kidney; Reinforcing; Male; Middle Aged; nourish; Phytotherapy; strengthening; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Treatment Outcome; trial; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - immunology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0255-2922

OBJECTIVE:To compare the efficacy of modified treatments based on "kidney reinforcing" in the management of chronic aplastic anemia(CAA),and explore their advantages and specialties.METHODS:One hundred and eleven patients with CAA were randomly divided into three groups:kidney reinforcing alone(KA),"kidney reinforcing and Qi tonifying"(KQ),and "kidney reinforcing and blood circulation invigorating"(KC).Normal and positive control groups were also formed.All patients were treated for 6 months(two courses).Hemograms,Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) syndrome scores,and therapeutic effects were assessed,and changes in T-lymphocyte subsets,regulatory T cells and cytokines were detected.RESULTS:The KQ and KC groups had lower TCM syndrome scores than the positive control group after 6 months(P < 0.05).The KQ group had a higher overall efficacy than the positive control group after 3 months(P < 0.05),while platelet counts increased in the KC group after 6 months(P < 0.05).CD3+ T-lymphocyte ratios decreased only in the KQ group,while CD3 + CD4 + CD8-Tlymphocytes increased only in the KC group after 6 months(P <0.05).Levels of interferon-γ,tumor necrosis fac-tor-α,interleukin(IL)-2 and IL-6 decreased and levels of IL-4 and IL-10 increased in all treated groups after 6 months.Levels of IL-6 in the KQ and KC groups were lower than those in the positive control group(P < 0.05).CONCLUSION:Treatments based on kidney reinforcing have a rebalancing effect on cytotoxic and T helper cells,and regulate expression of interferon-γ,IL-2,IL-6 and IL-4.KQ may be more effective in treating CAA,and KC may have an advantage in platelet recovery.