Effect of Herbal Medicine "Jod Aram" in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients - Randomized Placebo Controlled Study.

This study is conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the poly herbal drug preparation “Jod Aram” in Rheumatoid arthritis patients. The ingredients are hydro alcoholic extraction of different parts of plants. Material and method: A double blind, randomized, fixed dose, placebo controlled clinical trial using “Jod Aram” was carried out on 24 (14 Patients of “Jod Aram” and 10 patients on placebo) patients of rheumatoid arthritis, who were followed up for a period of 6 months. Result: There is significant improvement in clinical variables of rheumatoid arthritis in “Jod Aram” group compared to placebo at the end of 24 weeks of randomization trial. The drug is most effective in reducing pain and tenderness in the joint as the observed p value < 0.001. It is also effective in reducing signs of inflammation and improving disability associated with arthritis. Conclusion: This randomized drug trial demonstrated potential efficacy, safety in symptomatic treatment of rheumatoid arthritis over 24 weeks.

A rare cause of heart failure--primary hypoparathyroidism.

We report a patient who presented with congestive heart failure (ejection fraction 24.4%) and who had previous history of convulsions. Our investigations found him to be a case of primary hypoparathyroidism. He showed a dramatic response with the addition of calcium infusion therapy with almost full recovery of left ventricular function (67% ejection fraction after 16 days of the initial echo). We conclude that in a young patient a thorough investigation for heart failure is never complete without looking for endocrine and metabolic causes. The prognosis in these cases is much better, identification and treatment of the same will yield dramatic results.