OBJECTIVETo study the clinical therapeutic effect of integrative Chinese and Western medicine on patients with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) and its influence on serum level of motilin (MOT).

METHODSSixty patients with HG were randomized equally into two groups, the treated group and the control group. They all received the Western medical supportive treatment mainly by fluid infusion, but for patients in the treated group, Chinese herbal medicine, the Yuntu recipe was given orally in combination. The course of treatment was 6 days. Besides, a group of 30 women with regular pregnancy was set up for normal control. Serum levels of MOT and beta-HCG were measured before and after treatment. And patients were followed up for 2 weeks.

RESULTSThe curative rate and the relapse rate was 73.3% (22/30) and 16.7% (5/25) in the treated group; 56.7% (17/30) and 33.3% (10/20) in the control group respectively, the curative rate was significantly higher and the relapse rate was significantly lower in the treated group than those in the control group (P>0.05). Blood 3-HCG levels in the two HG groups were similar to that of the normal control, and changed insignificantly after treatment (P>0.05), while serum level of MOT in them were 67.15 +/- 15.94 ng/L and 70.28 +/- 13.56 ng/L respectively before treatment, significantly lowers than that of the normal control (145.35 +/- 30.12 ng/L, P<0.05), but it increased significantly after treatment in the treated and the control groups (P<0.05), being 151.50 +/- 54.84 ng/ L vs 103.28 +/- 38.31 ng/L and the increasing in the treated group was more significant than that in the control group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe occurrence of HG is correlated with the lowering of serum MOT level. Integrative medical treatment is effective in treating HG by way of increasing the serum level of MOT and promoting the peristalsis of stomach.