Traditional Chinese medicine may be associated with a reduced risk of recurrent exacerbation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A matched cohort study based on 1383 individuals

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevanceThis study determines whether traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment is associated with the risk of recurrent exacerbation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Materials and methodsIn this retrospective study, we selected 1383 patients who were diagnosed with RA between 2013 and 2021 from the medical record information management system of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Then, patients were classified into TCM users and non-TCM users. Gender, age, recurrent exacerbation, TCM, death, surgery, organ lesions, Chinese patent medicine, external medicine, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were adjusted one TCM user-to-one non-TCM user with propensity score matching to reduce selection bias and confusion using propensity score matching (PSM). A Cox regression model was used to compare the hazard ratio of the risk of recurrent exacerbation and the Kaplan Meier curve of recurrent exacerbation proportion between the two groups. ResultsMost of the tested clinical indicators in this study improved in patients, which was correlated with the use of TCM, with a statistical significance. TCM was preferred in female and younger (<58 years old) patients with RA. Of note, recurrent exacerbation was observed in more than 850 (61.461%) RA patients. The results of the Cox proportional hazard model showed TCM as a protective factor for the recurrent exacerbation of RA patients (HR = 50%, 95% CI = 0.65–0.92, P < 0.01). Kaplan Meier curves demonstrated that the survival rate of TCM users was higher than that of non-TCM users (log-rank P < 0.01). ConclusionConclusively, the use of TCM may be related to a lower risk of recurrent exacerbation in RA patients. These findings provide evidence for the recommendation of TCM treatment for RA patients.