The efficacy of herbal medicine (kampo) in reducing the adverse effects of IFN-beta in chronic hepatitis C.
The purpose of this study was to determine if the adverse effects of interferon (IFN) in hepatitis C patients could be reduced by treatment with Japanese Oriental (Kampo) medicine. Twelve patients with chronic hepatitis C were treated with a combination of IFN-beta and either Mao-to or Dai-seiryu-to (groups A and B), and 16 patients were treated with IFN-beta alone (group C). Mao-to was administered to eight patients and Dai-seiryu-to was administered to four in groups A and B, respectively. Adverse effects were evaluated by clinical and laboratory examinations. The severity of symptoms was daily self-classified into four categories (1: none, 2: very slight, 3: moderate, and 4: serious), using a questionnaire consisting of 29 items. Scores of symptom such as discomfort and fever in group A, and discomfort, general malaise, paresthesia and arthralgia in group B were significantly lower than those in group C (p < 0.05). In all patients, HCV-RNA was negative at the end of the treatment, and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels had normalized transiently in all group A and B patients with genotype 1b by 2 weeks after cessation of IFN treatment. This study indicates that Kampo medicines are useful for reducing the adverse effects accompanying IFN treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C without reducing the antiviral effects.
Kainuma
Mosaburo
M
Department of Japanese Oriental Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Japan. Kainuma@ms.toyama-mpu.ac.jp
Hayashi
Jun
J
Sakai
Shinya
S
Imai
Kazuaki
K
Mantani
Naoki
N
Kohta
Kazufumi
K
Mitsuma
Tadamichi
T
Shimada
Yutaka
Y
Kashiwagi
Seizaburo
S
Terasawa
Katsutoshi
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D020835:Medicine, Kampo; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D012367:RNA, Viral; D016899:Interferon-beta; D000410:Alanine Transaminase