ABSTRACT
Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of Qingre Liangxue Recipe (QLR), a herbal prescription with the actions of clearing heat and cooling blood, for the treatment of gouty arthritis. Methods Sixty-five cases of gouty arthritis patients were randomly divided into treatment group (N=32) and control group (N=33). Both groups were given oral use of colchicine during the acute stage and being suspended when the pain was relieved, and then were given oral use of allopurinol tablets during the remission stage. Additionally, the treatment group was given oral use of QLR all through the acute stage and remission stage. The treatment lasted for 4 weeks in both groups. After treatment, clinical efficacy was evaluated in the two groups. The number of acute relapse cases and the changes of blood uric acid level were observed. Results At the end of the first treatment week, the treatment group had a total effective rate of 96.9%, significantly higher than that (81.8%) of the control group. At the end of the fourth treatment week, the treatment group had a total effective rate of 100.0%, significantly higher than that (90.9%) of the control group. The treatment group had better therapeutic effect than the control group at the end of the first or the fourth treatment week, the difference being significant ( P<0.01). The number of acute relapse cases and the serum uric acid level were lower in the treatment group than those in the control group during 4 treatment weeks or 12 weeks after treatment suspension, the difference being significant ( P<0.01). Conclusion QLR combined with anti-gout medicines can effectively relieve symptoms of gouty arthritis, reduce incidence of acute relapse, and have long-term effect on lowering blood uric acid level.