A pilot study of banxia houpu tang, a traditional Chinese medicine, for reducing pneumonia risk in older adults with dementia.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate whether the traditional Chinese herbal medicine banxia houpu tang (BHT, formula magnolia et pinelliae) prevents aspiration pneumonia and pneumonia-related mortality in elderly people.


METHODS
A prospective, observer-blinded, randomized, controlled trial.


METHODS
Two long-term care hospitals for handicapped elderly patients in Japan from March 2005 to February 2006.


METHODS
One hundred four elderly patients (31 men and 73 women; mean age+/-standard deviation 83.5+/-7.8) with dementia and cerebrovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, or Parkinson's disease.


METHODS
Ninety-five participants (mean age 84.0, M:F=28:67) were randomly assigned to the BHT treatment group (n=47) or the control group (n=48) and took BHT or placebo for 12 months.


METHODS
The occurrence of pneumonia, mortality due to pneumonia, and the daily amount of self-feeding.


RESULTS
Complete data were available for analysis on 92 of the 95 subjects randomized. Four patients in the BHT group developed pneumonia, and one of them died as a result. Fourteen patients in the control group developed pneumonia, and six of them died as a result. There was a significant difference between the two groups in pneumonia onset (P=.008), and a tendency toward significance in pneumonia-related mortality (P=.05). The relative risk of pneumonia in the BHT group compared with the control group was 0.51 (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.27-0.84, P=.008) and that of death from pneumonia was 0.41 (95% CI=0.10-1.03, P=.06) according to the Cox proportional hazards model. No adverse events were observed from treatment with BHT. The BHT group was able to maintain self-feeding better than the control group (P=.006).


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment with BHT reduced the risk of pneumonia and pneumonia-related mortality in elderly patients with dementia.
Iwasaki
Koh
K
Center for Asian Traditional Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. QFG03604@nifty.com
Kato
Shiro
S
Monma
Yasutake
Y
Niu
Kaijun
K
Ohrui
Takashi
T
Okitsu
Reina
R
Higuchi
Satoshi
S
Ozaki
Shiro
S
Kaneko
Noboru
N
Seki
Takashi
T
Nakayama
Katsutoshi
K
Furukawa
Katsutoshi
K
Fujii
Masahiko
M
Arai
Hiroyuki
H
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
C120141:Banxia Houpo Tang; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal