Efficacy and Safety of Qiwei Tongbi Oral Liquid in Patients with Stable Long-Standing Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Wenjun Lu,Liping Fang,Jijie Zhang,Rafael Scaf De Molon

doi:10.1155/2021/3930800

Wenjun Lu, Liping Fang + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/3930800

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Abstract

Objective Our study is aimed at investigating the efficacy and safety of Qiwei Tongbi oral liquid in patients with stable long-standing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Method 140 patients with stable long-standing RA were recruited into the Qiwei Tongbi oral liquid group or the control group. At study recruitment and after 12 weeks of treatment, their C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), visual analogue scale (VAS), and Disease Activity Score (DAS) 28 were compared in two groups. Results Patients in the Qiwei Tongbi oral liquid group had a lower level of CRP, IL-6, VAS scale, and HAQ score compared to patients in the control group (CRP: 3.51 ± 1.57 vs.5.47 ± 1.72 mg/L, P < 0.001; IL-6: 1.62 ± 0.8 vs. 2.19 ± 0.88 pg/mL, P < 0.001; VAS scale: 1.59 ± 0.69 vs. 2.66 ± 1.02, P < 0.001; and HAQ score: 1.19 ± 0.46 vs. 1.41 ± 0.50, P = 0.005). The ESR and DAS28 did not reach statistical difference. No damage to liver and kidney functions was observed in both groups. Conclusion Qiwei Tongbi oral liquid has the tendency to decrease the inflammation levels and pain score and improve patients' outcomes in patients with stable long-standing RA.

Highlights

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common autoimmune diseases and causes 10 to 15 years of life expectancy shorter than the general population
Patients in the active stage or early stage are suggested to treat with traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), which comprise a wide range of drugs treated for RA to slow down the disease progress
A multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) of 466 patients with more than 5 years of RA with stable disease of at least 6 months suggested that patients with DMARDs gained no additional benefit in inflammation levels, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) levels [4]

Summary

Introduction

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common autoimmune diseases and causes 10 to 15 years of life expectancy shorter than the general population. RA causes systematic inflammation, which leads to destruction in the joints. Less attention is paid to patients with stable disease. Most of the previously published clinical studies recruited only patients in the active disease. Patients in the active stage or early stage are suggested to treat with traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), which comprise a wide range of drugs treated for RA to slow down the disease progress. A multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) of 466 patients with more than 5 years of RA with stable disease of at least 6 months suggested that patients with DMARDs gained no additional benefit in inflammation levels, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) levels [4]. It is still meaningful to give these patients the best consultation and care as their disease may progress without continuous attention

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