Efficacy of a Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of atopic dermatitis: A randomised controlled study

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2015.07.006
• Publication Date: 2015-07-26T13:27:38Z
• Authors: Junfeng Liu; Xiumei Mo; Darong Wu; Aihua Ou; Suqin Xue; Chi Liu; Hongyi Li; Zehuai Wen; Dacan Chen
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Adolescent; Administration, Topical; Administration, Oral; Dermatitis, Atopic; Medication Adherence; 3. Good health; Placebos; Young Adult; 03 medical and health sciences; Treatment Outcome; 0302 clinical medicine; Quality of Life; Humans; Female; Child; Drugs, Chinese Herbal

More randomised control trials are required to assess the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine. This multi-centre, randomised, assessor-blind, controlled study assessed the efficacy of the Chinese herbal formula Pei Tu Qing Xin Tang (PTQXT) for treating patients with atopic dermatitis (AD).Patients aged 5-25 years with moderate-to-severe AD were randomised to receive a 12-week treatment involving either oral administration of PTQXT; oral administration of PTQXT combined with an external application of Chinese herbs; or oral administration of antihistamine and a placebo of PTQXT pills added to topical 1% mometasone furoate. The primary end-point measure was the change in the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis Index (SCORAD) at the end of the observation period, and secondary end-points included quality of life (QOL). The outcomes were evaluated at baseline, then every 4 weeks from week 4 to week 12 and every 8 weeks from week 12 to week 36.Two hundred and seventy-five patients were recruited. During the 12-week treatment period, up to the primary end-point, the mean SCORAD decreased gradually in all three groups. At week 28 and week 36, there was a significantly greater decrease in the mean SCORAD for the Chinese herbal medicine-treated groups than for the control group (at week 28, P=0.002 and P=0.036, respectively; at week 36, P<0.001 and P=0.002, respectively). At week 36, the difference in QOL scores showed a significantly greater improvement in both Chinese herbal medicine-treated groups than in the control group (P<0.001 and P<0.001, respectively).PTQXT is effective in decreasing the severity of the disease and improving the QOL in patients with moderate-to-severe AD.Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR-TRC-08000156.