OBJECTIVETo observe therapeutic efficacy of treating early and midterm chronic renal failure (CRF) patients by qi supplementing, collateral dredging, detoxifying, and turbidity descending recipe (QSCDDTDR) combined with basic methods of Western medicine (WM).

METHODSTotally 160 early and midterm CRF patients were recruited from Hebei Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hebei Medical University from January 2007 to December 2011. They were randomly assigned to the treatment group and the control group, 80 in each group. On the basis of basic treatment of WM, QSCDDTDR was given to patients in the treatment group, while niaoduqing granule (NDQG) was given to those in the control group. After 12 months of treatment, the therapeutic efficacy, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, serum creatinine (SCr), blood urine nitrogen (BUN), 24 h urine protein quantitation, hemoglobin (Hb), and the occurrence of end-point events were observed.

RESULTSThe total effective rate in the treatment group was 77.6% (28/76), obviously higher than that in the control group [(58.1%, 43/74), P < 0.05]. After treatment the CM syndrome scores obviously decreased in the treatment group (18.3 +/- 5.3), obviously lower than before treatment (26.0 +/- 4.4) and the control group (22.4 +/- 4.9) (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The levels of SCr, BUN, and 24 h urine protein quantitation were (169.1 +/- 22.6) micromol/L, (10.4 +/- 2.0) mmol/L, (861.4 +/- 232.7) mg/24 h, respectively, in the treatment group after treatment, which were lower than before treatment [(204.1 +/- 27.7) micromol/L, (13.2 +/- 3.2) mmol/L, (1 287.5 +/- 442.3) mg/24 h, P < 0.01). The aforesaid indices were also improved in the control group after treatment (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The decrease in SCr, BUN, and 24 h urine protein quantitation after treatment was more obviously in the treatment group than in the control group [(185.8 +/- 23.9) micromol/L, (11.2 +/- 2.5) mmol/L, (1014.5 +/- 301.7) mg/24 h; P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The incidence rate of the end-point events was 10.53% (8/76) in the treatment group and 13.51% (10/74) in the control group, but with no statistical difference.

CONCLUSIONQSCDDTDR combined with basic methods of WM showed better therapeutic efficacy in improving the renal function and reducing the level of urinary protein of the early and midterm CRF patients.