OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effect of integrative medicinal therapy in treating children Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) and its preventive effect on complicated renal impairment.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty children with HSP were equally randomized into two groups, the treated group and the control group. Both were treated with conventional Western medical therapy, but Sanhuang Qingxue Yin (SQY, a Chinese herbal drug) was given additionally to the treated group. Besides, a group consisted of 30 healthy children was set up as a normal control. Changes of symptoms, physical signs, routine urine, plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) and urinary levels of beta2-microglobulin (beta2-MG), albumin (ALB) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) before and after treatment were observed, and the recurrence was monitored.

RESULTSThe cure rate and the total effective rate in the treated group were 80.0% and 98.3%, while those in the control group were 61.7% and 88.3%, showing significant differences between groups (P < 0.05); the disappearance time of clinical symptoms was shorter in the treated group than in the control group, also showing a significant difference (P < 0.01); after 1-month treatment, levels of plasma ET-1, and urinary beta2-MG, ALB and IgG were improved in the treated group, reaching the levels opproximate to those in the normal control (P > 0.05), significant difference was shown as compared with those in the control group and with those before treatment respectively (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The recurrent rate was 13.33% in the treated group and 30.0% in the control group, and they were statistically different (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe integrative medicinal therapy is good for treating HSP in children, it could not only obviously relieve clinical symptoms, shorten the illness course and reduce the recurrent rate, but also effectively prevent the occurrence of renal impairment.