title: A pilot study of banxia houpu tang, a traditional Chinese medicine, for reducing pneumonia risk in older adults with dementia.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Center for Asian Traditional Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. QFG03604@nifty.com
authors.forename: Koh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Yasutake
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Monma
authors.forename: Kaijun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohrui
authors.forename: Reina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Okitsu
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Higuchi
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seki
authors.forename: Katsutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakayama
authors.forename: Katsutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arai
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: C120141:Banxia Houpo Tang; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal