ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effect of Huaiqihuang granules in children with relapsed systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and analyze its impact on the regulation of inflammatory factors, immune function, and recurrence rate. METHODS: Seventy-six children with relapsed SLE were evenly divided into two groups, the control group with conventional SLE treatment and the observation group which was treated with Huaiqihuang granules on the basis of the conventional treatment. After 8 weeks of treatment, the positive rate of antinuclear antibody (ANA) titer, 24-hour urine protein (24 h Upro), serum inflammatory factors, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) level and systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) score were compared. The recurrence rate of SLE between the two groups was also analyzed at the 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: Compared with before treatment, the positive rate of ANA titer, 24 h Upro, and serum interleukin-10 (IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor family B cell activating factor (BAFF) levels in the two groups of children were decreased after treatment; in addition, levels of these parameters in the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group. The interleukin-2 (IL-2) level of both groups was significantly increased after treatment, and the observation group showed a significantly higher level of IL-2 than that of the control group (all P<0.05). After treatment, serum MCP-1 and RAGE levels of the two groups were considerably lower compared with that before treatment, which were significantly lower in the observation group than those of the control group (all P<0.05). SLEDAI scores of the two groups were significantly decreased after treatment, which were notably lower in the observation group than those of the control group (all P<0.05). The six-month follow-up demonstrated that the recurrence rate of SLE in the observation group was remarkably lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The adjuvant treatment by Huaiqihuang granules can effectively reduce the inflammatory response, decrease the disease activity of SLE, and lower the recurrence rate in children with SLE relapse, which is worthy of clinical application.
