Therapeutic Effect of Adjunctive Treatment with Qiangzhu Recipe for Ankylosing Spondylitis / 广州中医药大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of adjunctive treatment with Qiangzhu Recipe for ankylosing spondylitis(AS). Methods Forty-eight AS patients were evenly randomized into observation group and control group according to the admission order. The observation group was given Qiangzhu Recipe together with sulfasalazine and celecoxib orally, and the control group received oral use of sulfasalazine and celecoxib. Four weeks constituted one treatment course, and the treatment covered 3 courses. The main clinical outcomes of the patients included Bath AS functional index ( BASFI) , Bath AS disease activity index ( BASDAI) , pain visual analog scale ( VAS) scores, global VAS scores, spinal mobility indexes ( finger-to-floor distance, occiput -wall distance, thoracic mobility, Schober test, scoliolosis test) , and laboratory inflammatory indicators of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein. Moreover, the incidence of adverse reaction was also recorded. Results (1) After treatment for 4, 8, and 12 weeks, the percentage of the patients arriving at the degree of ASAS20 was 16.67%, 33.34%, and 70.83% respectively in the observation group, and was 8.33%, 29.17%, and 58.33% in the control group; the percentage of the patients arriving at the degree of ASAS40 was 4.17%, 20.83%, and 37.50% respectively in the observation group, and was 0.00%, 12.50%and 25.00% in the control group. The differences of the percentage of the patients arriving at the degree of ASAS20 and ASAS40 were insignificant between the two groups (P>0.05). (2) After treatment, symptoms were much relieved, spinal mobility was improved, and inflammatory indicators of ESR and CRP were alleviated in the two groups ( P0.05 compared with the control group). Conclusion Adjunctive treatment with Qiangzhu Recipe exerts certain synergistic action on sulfasalazine and celecoxib in treating ankylosing spondylitis.