Clinical Observation on Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated by Bushen Tongluo Pill:A Report of 54 Cases

Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of Bushen Tongluo Pill (Pills for reinforcing kidney and removing obstruction of meridians) on rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods Totally 100 RA patients were randomized into treatment group and control group with 50 cases in each group.The treatment group (50 cases) was administered Bushen Tongluo Pill and the control group (50 cases) was prescribed Celecoxib capsules and Methotrexate tablets for 3 months.The changes after treatment in the clinical symptoms including joint pain,swelling,joint functions,hand grip strength,and in the laboratory indices including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR),rheumatoid factors (RF),and C-reactive protein (CRP),and the untoward effect as well were observed.Results The total effective rate of the treatment group was higher than that of the control (P0.05).Joint pain and swelling,degree of joint function,duration of morning stiffness,average hand grip stength and 15-meter walking time were significantly improved after treatment in both groups (P0.05),the improvement of the treatment group was more significant (P0.05).ESR,CRF and RF of both groups were significantly improved after treatment (P0.05),the improvement of ESR in the treatment group was more significant (P0.05).The incidence of untoward effect of the treatment group and the control group was 4% and 6% respectively,without significant difference (P0.05).Conclusion Bushen Tongluo Pill is effective for RA,the effect was superior to that of Celecoxib capsules and Methotrexate tablets.