Effect of Sanjun Tuihuang decoction on patients with severe chronic hepatitis.

Objective To observe the effect of treating severe chronic hepatitis with a Sanjun Tuihuang decoction,a traditional Chinese medicine.Methods One hundred and eight patients who were clinically confirmed to have severe chronic hepatitis were enrolled.They were randomly divided into two groups,a treatment group or a control group,at a ratio of 3∶2.The treatment group had 67 patients and the control group had 41.The treatment group received basic treatment and a Sanjun Tuihuang decoction made by the authors.A total quantity of crude drug of 180 g was boiled in 300 ml of water that was then consumed warm in several servings;the course of treatment was 28 d.In contrast,the control group received only basic treatment;the course of treatment was also 28 d.Results Sixty-seven patients completed the study.After 28 days of using the decoction,the treatment group had significant improvement in clinical manifestations of hepatitis,markedly improved liver function,reduced serum Tbil 183.5 μmol/L and increased prothrombin activity(PTA) 24.1%.The group's response rate was 77.6%,and the survival rate in a follow-up 12 weeks later was 68.7%;the treatment group had better clinical indices than the control group(P0.01).Conclusion The Sanjun Tuihuang decoction alleviated clinical manifestations of hepatitis,improved liver function,increased PTA,and decreased mortality.It had a significant effect on severe chronic hepatitis.