title: Effect of Chinese herbal medicine combined with acitretin capsule in treating psoriasis of blood-heat syndrome type.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the clinical curative effect of Chinese herbal medicine combined with acitretin capsule in treating psoriasis of blood-heat syndrome (P-BH).
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty patients of P-BH were randomly assigned to two groups, 39 in Group A and 41 in Group B. Both was treated with Chinese herbal medicines for clearing heat, cooling blood and removing toxic substance, and acitretin capsule was given to Group A additionally, with 8 weeks as one therapeutic course. The clinical curative effect was compared between groups, and the change of psoriasis activity severe index (PASI) scores before and after treatment was observed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total effective rate in Group A was 84.2% and that in Group B 68.2%, also showing significance between groups (P<0.01). PASI score lowered significantly after treatment in both groups, showing statistical significance (P<0.01), but no significant difference between groups. Little adverse reaction was found in Group B, while in Group A, the adverse reaction was of even milder degree, which could be alleviated by adjusting the herbal medicine and symptomatic treatment administration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effect of Chinese herbal medicine combined with acitretin capsule was superior to Chinese herbal medicine alone in treating P-BH, but the adverse reaction of acitretin capsule could be alleviated by adjusting the herbs used. However, the result is waiting to be verified further by larger samples.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, 100029, China. dongyan3211@163.com
authors.forename: Li-xin
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yan-ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Pei-hua
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Li-ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Ding-quan
authors.initials: DQ
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D017255:Acitretin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002214:Capsules; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007641:Keratolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013577:Syndrome; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002214:Capsules; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D007641:Keratolytic Agents; C504928:Qingkailing; D017255:Acitretin