OBJECTIVETo compare the therapeutic effect of Astragalus and Angelica Mixture (AAM) on treating CKD patients according to different CKD primary diseases, staging and TCM syndromes.

METHODSA multicentre, open-label, and self control clinical design was used, and thirty-two patients in line with inclusive criteria were recruited. Based on maintaining their previous basic CKD treatment, patients additionally took AAM (Astragalus and Angelica each 30 g), once a day, three months consisted of one therapeutic course. Serum creatinine (SCr), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eG- FR), 24 h urinary total protein (UTP), plasma albumin (ALB), hemoglobin (Hb), and changes of TCM syndrome factor integrals were compared before treatment, at the end of month 1, 2, and 3. The differences in the aforesaid indices were compared between CKD patients with different CKD primary diseases (chronic glomerulonephritis, chronic renal tubulointerstitial disease, hypertensive renal damage), different CKD stages (CKD 3 and CKD 4), and patients of qi-blood deficiency syndrome (QBDS) and non-QBDS.

RESULTSAAM could improve 78.12% (25/32) patients' renal function. Compared with before treatment, SCr decreased (12.08% +/- 10.11%), eGFR increased (21.14% +/- 18.55%), and ALB increased (2.76% +/- 1.97%) at the end of 3-month treatment (all P < 0.05). As for TCM syndrome factor integrals, compared with before treatment, the integrals for qi deficiency syndrome, blood deficiency syndrome, and yin deficiency syndrome decreased, while the integrals for dampness heat syndrome and turbid-toxin syndrome increased (all P < 0.05). There was no obvious difference in all indices except the integral for hypertensive renal damage patients of yin deficiency syndrome (P > 0.05). The SCr decreasing percent was 19.82% +/- 8.30% for patients of non-QBDS and 5.24% +/- 10.75% for patients of QBDS. The latter was higher with statistical difference (P < 0.05). As for TCM syndrome factor integrals, the integral differences of qi deficiency and blood deficiency were obviously higher in patients of QBDS, when compared with patients of non-QBDS (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAAM could improve the renal function of CKD patients, elevate their ALB levels, and ameliorate associated qi deficiency syndrome, blood deficiency syndrome, and yin deficiency syndrome, especially for CKD patients of QBDS.