Effects of Xuezhikang capsule on hypertension and carotid atherosclerotic plaque in elderly patients

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of Xuezhikang capsule on hypertension and carotid atherosclerotic plaque in elderly patients. Methods A total of 185 elderly patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaque treated in Shanxi Dayi Hospital from January 2014 to January 2017 were selected. Patients were randomly divided into three groups according to random number table method. Sixty-two patients in control group received antihypertensive therapy, and 62 patients in statin group received antihypertensive drugs combined with statin. Sixty-one patients in Xuezhikang group received antihypertensive drugs combined with Xuezhikang capsule. The blood pressure, blood lipids, carotid plaques, liver enzymes and creatine kinase levels among the three groups were compared. Results After treatment, the blood pressure of statin group and Xuezhikang group was significantly lower than that of control group (P 0.05). The levels of total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein, triglyceride, carotid intima-media thickness, plaque size of Xuezhikang group did not significantly differ from these indexes of statin group and control group(P>0.05). The levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase in Xuezhikang group were higher than those in control group and statin group (P<0.05). Conclusions Xuezhikang can regulate blood lipid level and decelerate the development of carotid atherosclerotic plaque in elderly patients. It has higher safety and is worth popularization and application. Key words: Xuezhikang capsule; Elderly; Hypertension; Atherosclerosis