Danqi Piantang Jiaonang (DJ), a traditional Chinese medicine, in poststroke recovery.
OBJECTIVE
Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Despite improvements in acute stroke treatment, many patients only make a partial or poor recovery. Therefore, there is a need for treatments that would further improve outcome. Danqi Piantang Jiaonang (DJ; NeuroAid), a traditional Chinese medicine widely used in China to improve recovery after stroke, has been compared with another traditional Chinese medicine in 2 unpublished randomized clinical trials. The results of these studies were pooled and reanalyzed to assess efficacy and safety.


METHODS
Six hundred five subjects were randomized in 2 randomized double-blinded, controlled trials to receive either DJ or Buchang Naoxintong Jiaonang. Subjects were treated for 1 month. Inclusion criteria were: (1) patients with recent (from 10 days to 6 months) ischemic stroke; (2) patients satisfying Western diagnostic standards for stroke and traditional Chinese medicine standards for diagnosis of apoplexy; and (3) Diagnostic Therapeutic Effects of Apoplexy score >/=10.


RESULTS
The functional outcome, measured by the Comprehensive Function Score component of the Diagnostic Therapeutic Effects of Apoplexy scale, showed a statistically significant superiority of DJ over the control treatment group (relative risk, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.28 to 4.51; P=0.007). Tolerance was excellent in both groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The pooled analysis of 2 unpublished trials of DJ, a traditional Chinese medicine currently approved in China to improve neurological recovery after stroke, shows good tolerability and superiority of DJ over another traditional Chinese medicine also approved for stroke. A large double-blind randomized clinical trial is required to further assess the safety and efficacy of DJ.
Chen
Christopher
C
Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore. phccclh@nus.edu.sg
Venketasubramanian
N
N
Gan
Robert N
RN
Lambert
Caroline
C
Picard
David
D
Chan
Bernard P L
BP
Chan
Edwin
E
Bousser
Marie G
MG
Xuemin
Shi
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills; D020127:Recovery of Function; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C539199:danqi piantang jiaonang