OBJECTIVETo study the clinical effects of integrative Chinese and Western medicine in treating chronic urticaria and its impact on peripheral blood content of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and IL-8.

METHODSPatients were assigned to the treatment group and the control group according to their sequence of visiting. They were treated orally with levocetirizine hydrochloride 5 mg once a day, but additional Kangqian Decoction (a self-formulated Chinese herbal preparation consisted of thorowax root 15 g, divaricate saposhnikovia root 9 g, licorice root 15 g, moutan bark 15 g, red sage root 15 g, milkvetch root 30 g, and schisandra fruit 12 g, etc. ) was given to the treatment group one dose per day, for 2 weeks as one therapeutic course. The efficacy was evaluated after two courses of medication, and patients' IL-10 and IL-8 levels in the peripheral blood were determined before and after treatment.

RESULTSThe total effective rate in the treatment group and control group was 93.75% and 56.66% respectively with significance difference between them (P <0.01). After treatment, the level of serum IL-10 was significantly lower while that of IL-8 was significantly higher in the treatment group (2.96 +/- 1.66, 50.17 +/- 32.35) than that in the control group (4.77 +/- 2.99, 29.44 +/- 17.62) respectively (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONChronic urticaria was related to the immune unbalance of body. Integrative medicine could adjust immune function to display a quick, potent anti-inflammatory and anti-anaphylactic actions in treating chronic urticaria with less adverse reaction and low recurrent rate.