Alternative therapy for persistent childhood immune thrombocytopenic purpura unresponsive to intravenous immunoglobulin.
OBJECTIVE
Presentation of a case illustrating the benefits of traditional Chinese herbal granules for treatment of immune thrombocytopenic purpura in children.


METHODS
A 4-year-old girl presented with persistent immune thrombocytopenic purpura refractory to the first-line conventional treatment of steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin over 7 months. She was brought to the traditional Chinese medical clinic at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in 2011 for alternative therapy. She received a modified Chinese herbal formula, Zi-Ying-Jiang-Huo-Tang (Phellodendri Combination), for 6 months and was followed clinically by both a pediatrician and a traditional Chinese medical doctor. The patient had a dramatic improvement in platelet count and entered complete remission after treatment with the traditional Chinese medicine. There was no recurrence of disease or side effects of treatment noted during the 12-month follow-up period.


CONCLUSIONS
Our case report suggests that collaborative monitoring of treatments with traditional Chinese medicine may prove beneficial in the management of childhood persistent immune thrombocytopenic purpura. A larger clinical study is warranted for further evaluation of the role of Zi-Ying-Jiang-Huo-Tang in treating immune thrombocytopenic purpura.
Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan; School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taiwan.
Tzu-Ping
TP
Huang
Yu-Han
YH
Chang
Shih-Hsiang
SH
Chen
Shu-Ling
SL
Yang
Hung-Rong
HR
Yen
D002675:Child, Preschool; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010976:Platelet Count; D016553:Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous
Complementary and alternative medicine; Immune thrombocytopenic purpura; Integrative pediatrics; Intravenous immunoglobulin; Traditional Chinese medicine