Real-world Study of Medication Characteristics and Clinical Efficacy of Tenghuang Jiangu Tablets in Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis in Remission Stage / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveTo explore the medication characteristics and clinical efficacy of the Tenghuang Jiangu tablets in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis （KOA） in the remission stage in the real world，providing references for rational clinical use of this prescription. MethodBased on the "registration system of KOA treated with Tenghuang Jiangu tablets"，2 439 KOA cases in the remission stage were analyzed by SPSS 25.0，IBM SPSS Modeler18.0，and Apriori algorithm. To be specific，the age，body mass index （BMI），and course of treatment were described in the form of x̄±s. The information on gender，K-L grade，daily dose，and frequency of drug use was described by frequency analysis. The number of cases，course of treatment，daily dose，and drug use frequency of the single-use group and the combined-use group were described by frequency analysis，and the combination of drugs was described by frequency analysis and Apriori algorithm. Mann-Whitney U test was employed to compare the scores of Visual Analogue Scale （VAS），Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index （WOMAC），pain，stiffness，and joint function between the single-use group and the combined-use group. ResultThe results of clinical treatment showed that 2 439 patients with KOA in the remission stage were treated with Tenghuang Jiangu tablets，with 1 432 （58.71%） in the single-use group and 1 007 （41.29%） in the combined-use group. The average daily dose of Tenghuang Jiangu tablets was （3.90±1.44） g，and the majority of the patients were at grade Ⅱ （54.47%）. The daily average daily dose of Tenghuang Jiangu tablets in the single-use group was （3.64±1.35） g，which was lower than that in the combined-use group ［（4.26±1.48） g，P<0.05］. In the combined use，the top three western medicines were glucosamine （270 times，14.68%），sodium hyaluronate （126 times，6.85%），and imrecoxib （116 times，6.31%），and the top three Chinese medicines were Huoxuezhitong capsules/tablets/ointments （31 times，1.69%），Biqi capsules （25 times，1.36%），and Maizhiling （23 times，1.25%）. As for the overall clinical efficacy，the VAS score was （5.13±0.93） score before treatment and （2.22±1.18） score after treatment （P<0.05），with an overall average decrease of （2.91±1.14） score， and the average decrease in the single-use group was （2.76±1.43） score， which was lower than that in the combined-use group ［（3.12±1.36） score，（P<0.01）］. The WOMAC score was （31.05±11.84） score before treatment and （13.55±9.91） score after treatment （P<0.05）. The overall average decrease was （17.50±11.79） score， and the average decrease in the single-use group and combined-use group was （16.39±11.14） score and （19.08±12.50） score，respectively （P<0.01）. The patients with KOA>grade Ⅱ accounted for 91.34%（1 308/1 432） and 93.55%（942/1 007） in the single-use group and combined-use group，respectively （χ2=80.026，P<0.05）. A total of 43.37%（621/1 432） of the patients in the single-use group had other complications，lower than that in the combined-use group ［54.92%（553/1 432），（χ2=20.087，P<0.01）］. ConclusionMore than half of the patients with KOA in the remission stage are treated with Tenghuang Jiangu tablets alone，and the combination therapy is mainly applied in patients with severe conditions or other complications. In relieving knee joint pain and improving joint stiffness and joint function，both the Tenghuang Jiangu tablets alone and the combination therapy are effective.