Quantitative evaluation of self-made Bushenpingchan formula combined with madopar for Parkinson disease

Xiangdong YU; Ling CUI; Biao CHEN

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Levodopa substitutive therapy is essential and effective method for PD for a long time, but it can not delay the course of PD. Side effect is more and more and severe, for taking levodopa long term. It is benefit to patients to postpone the usage of levodopa or decrease the dosage of it.

OBJECTIVE:

To systematically investigate the curative effect of the selfmade Bushenpingchan formula combined with madopar on pathogenetic condition of PD patients after onset.

DESIGN:

Randomized controlled observation.

SETTING:

Senile Disease Research Center, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital University of Medical Sciences.

PARTICIPANTS:

Seventy patients diagnosed as having PD were recruited from the Xiyuan Hospital of Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine between December 1999 and May 2002. Inclusive criteria The patients must be diagnosed as PD finally; ②be at 1.5-4 grade of modified Hoehn & Yahr measuring scale; ③less than 80 years old; ④The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diagnosis was deficiency of liver and kidney. Exclusive criteria ①secondary PD; ②accompanying with other sever central nervous system diseases. ③patients with severe diseases of heart,lung, kidney or multi-viscera-failure; ④mental sickness patients; ⑤drug and alcohol abuse; ⑥severe adverse effect.

METHODS:

Totally 70 patients were divided into two groups based on the proportion of one to one There were 35 patients in treatment group containing 22 males and 13 females. The average age was (67.9±16.5)years. There were 35 patients in control group including 25 males and 10females. The average age was (65.5±16.5) years. There was no significant difference in their general condition. Patients in the control group received 62.5-500 mg madopar (250 mg in each pill), 2-4 times a day (to change the dose according to patients' condition). The patients in the treatment group were given with 62.5-500 mg madopar (250 mg in each pill), 2-4times a day orally and 200 mL self-made Bushenpingchan formula (twice a day) in addition, which was composed of 20 g tuber fleeceflower root, 1 g hairy deerhorn, 10 g tall gastrodia tuber, 15 g gambirplant, 12 g Chinese thorowax root, 15 g twolobed officinal magnolia bark, twice a day. The course of medication was 3 month in patients of the two groups. The patients were determined with unified Parkinson disease rating scale (UPDRS) before treatment and at weeks 2, 4, 8 and 12 after treatment, respectively. The symptoms in traditional Chinese medicine after treatment were measured. The dose of madopar before and after medication as well as the adverse effect were observed.MAIN OUTCOME

MEASURES:

Score of UPDRS before treatment and at weeks 2, 4, 8 and 12 after treatment in patients of the treatment group and control group; the dose of madopar before and after treatment and the adverse effect after treatment.

RESULTS:

Total effective rate was 69% and 51% in the treatment group and control group, respectively after treatment. There was no significant difference in therapeutic efficacy (x2=0.86, P=0.222 3). ①The score of UPDRS reduced significantly 8 weeks after treatment in the treatment group as compared with that before treatment (t=2.18 ,P ＜ 0.05). ②The daily dosage decreased in the patients of the treatment group after treatment as compared with that before treatment, which had significant difference (t =2.862 8,P ＜ 0.01 ). The daily dosage in the patients of control group had insignificant difference with that before treatment (t=2.320 3,P ＜ 0.01 ). ③There were 2 cases with lightly dry mouth, nausea, dizziness,which could relieve two weeks later in the treatment group; 5 patients with nausea and 2 patients with light dizziness in control group, which could relieve. The blood pressure had no significant change in the two groups before and after treatment.

CONCLUSION:

The Chinese medicine Bushenpingchan formula combined with western medicine can decrease the UPDRS score in PD patients,can improve the syndromes in Chinese medicine.