ABSTRACT
The current study involved 70 patients with atopic dermatitis who were treated with herbal medicine at this hospital’s Oriental Medicine department. This study examined a total of 237 prescriptions with Kampo diagnosis used to treat those patients. Patients who no longer needed to use a steroid ointment preparation were defined as “complete responders” and both these patients and patients whose use of a steroid ointment preparation decreased 50% or more from the level prior to use of herbal medicine were defined as “responders.” The complete response rate was the percentage of complete responders and efficacy rate was the percentage of responders. Among all patients, efficacy was 56.3% for unseiin > 50.0% for tokiinshi > 41.0% for Keigairengyoto > others. The complete response rate was 25.0% for unseiin > 16.7% for tokiinshi > 15.8% for shishihakuhito > 13.1% for Keigairengyoto > others. Among patients with “reddish” atopic dermatitis, unseiin had the highest efficacy and resulted in the highest complete response rate, followed by shishihakuhito and then keigairengyoto. Among patients with “wet” atopic dermatitis, unseiin had the highest efficacy and resulted in the highest complete response rate, followed by shofusan. When Kampo diagnosis is equivocal and herbal medicines are urgently needed, unseiin should be the prescription of first choice. Based on the condition of the skin, shofusan, shishihakuhito, or tokiinshi should be the second-best option.
ABSTRACT
Molecularly-targeted agents such as cetuximab, an anti-EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) monoclonal antibody have been used for the treatment of head and neck cancer. However, these agents frequently induce adverse skin reactions including acne-like rash and paronychia. For these problems, minocycline oral and heparinoid or steroid ointments, are commonly used. Some patients, however, cannot be controlled just by using these drugs. This case report shows a man in his 50s, who was treated for recurrence of nasal cancer. He received a long-term cetuximab therapy for 1 year and a half, and had severe paronychia and skin rash. Medication of unseiin and shiunko ointment decreased these adverse skin reactions, especially, paronychia on his first toes didn't need to be treated by steroid ointment anymore. When the common skin therapies are not effective, these Kampo therapies are possibly one of the options for the supportive care for the patients using cetuximab.
ABSTRACT
The prognosis of central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) is generally poor. I report a case of a 67-year-old man with CRVO who underwent Kampo therapy. He ultimately continued to use Unsei-in for one year and 10 months, and he also continued to use Gorei-san for 9 months with no severe side effects. His visual acuity, which was LV: 0.02 (n. c.) before this therapy, has improved to LV: 0.2(0.3×S+0.75D_??_C-1.0DA×110°). Ocular neovascularization did not occur. These results suggest Kampo therapy is effective on CRVO.
ABSTRACT
The effectiveness of Kampo therapy for facial redness was studied in 20 cases of atopic dermatitis, using the Kampo extract Unsei-in (EK-57, etc.), which is known to have antiinflammatory and anti-allergic activities. Unsei-in was used without other Kampo extracts in 10 cases. Of these, marked improvement was observed in one case (10%) and improvement in two cases (20%), all of which improved within two weeks. Five cases did not respond to therapy, and the redness worsened in two cases. In ten other cases Unsei-in was used in conjunction with other Kampo extracts. Of these, improvement was observed in three cases (30%). Adverse reactions such as redness over the entire body (one case; 5%) and gastric pain (one case; 5%) were also observed. Despite these reactions, Unsei-in was shown to be useful in the treatment of facial redness associated with atopic dermititis.