Clinical effect of Tripterygiitotorum combined with prednisone and its effect on serum IL-6 level in treating patients with myasthenia gravis.
- Author:
Zuo-xiao LI
1
;
Hua TAN
;
Xian-ji XIONG
Author Information
- Publication Type:Clinical Trial
- MeSH: Adolescent; Adult; B-Lymphocyte Subsets; Drug Therapy, Combination; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; therapeutic use; Female; Glycosides; therapeutic use; Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents; therapeutic use; Interleukin-6; blood; Male; Middle Aged; Myasthenia Gravis; blood; drug therapy; Phytotherapy; Prednisone; therapeutic use; Tripterygium; chemistry
- From: Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine 2002;22(3):175-177
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical effect of Tripterygiitotorum (T II) combined with prednisone in treating patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and the changes of immune function after treatment.
METHODSSixty-eight patients with MG were randomly divided into two groups, the 36 patients in the treated group were treated with T II plus prednisone and the 32 in the control group were treated with prednisone alone. The therapeutic effect, serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and peripheral B lymphocyte levels were observed.
RESULTSThe therapeutic effect in the treated group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). There were significant decrease in serum IL-6 and peripheral B lymphocyte in both groups after treatment (P < 0.05), with the decrements more significant in the treated group (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONThe therapy of T II plus prednisone is superior to that of prednisone alone in treating MG, it has a more potent effect of immunosuppression.
