Xingqiang Wang, Xianna Yang, Shiqi Wang, Xiaofang Tian, Jianmei Yin, Nian Liu, Pengtao Di, Jipeng Qi, Ya Li, Jimin Chen, Yang Wu, Jingjin Wu, Weiqing Zhao, Jiangyun Peng, Ling Zhang, Lingli Gu
Glucocorticoids (GC) are crucial in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but discontinuing GC effectively in RA patients poses a significant challenge for rheumatologists. In this two-stage, single-center, non-randomized controlled trial, we investigated the benefits of combining Chinese traditional herbal treatment with csDMARDs to aid GC discontinuation in terms of GC tapering, disease control, and safety. A total of 231 participants were enrolled, of which 150 eligible subjects were included in the first phase and allocated to three groups (control group, treatment group 1, and treatment group 2) based on their willingness to take traditional Chinese medicine and syndrome differentiation, in a 1:1:1 ratio...
2024: International Journal of General Medicine