Combined Efficacy of Modified Yangxin Anshen Decoction and Western Medicine Treatment in Elderly Patients with Schizophrenia and Sleep Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the combined efficacy of modified Yangxin Anshen decoction and Western medicine treatment in elderly patients with schizophrenia and sleep disorders.

METHODS: A total of 144 elderly patients with schizophrenia and sleep disorders in Wuhan Wudong Hospital were enrolled as participants in this study from April 2021 to April 2022. The participants were randomly and equally divided into a control group (receiving conventional Western medicine treatment) and two study groups: study group 1 received modified Yangxin Anshen decoction, and study group 2 receive modified Yangxin Anshen decoction in addition to Western medicine treatment. TCM syndrome scores, sleep quality, polysomnography, serum levels of 5-HT, DA, and MT were compared between the two groups. Moreover, the efficacy and adverse reactions were recorded.

RESULTS: After four weeks of treatment, the efficacy of study group 2 was significantly better than that of the control group and Study Group 1 (P < .05). There was no statistically significant difference between the three groups in secondary and main symptoms before treatment (P >.05), while the secondary and main symptoms of study group 2 were significantly lower than those of the control group and study group 1 after four weeks of treatment (P < .05). Before treatment, no statistically significant difference was found in sleep quality score between the three groups (P > .05), whereas the index of the study group 2 was evidently lower than that of the control group and study group 1 after four weeks of treatment (P < .05). Before treatment, there was no significant difference in terms of total recording time, total sleep time, sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency, and four stages (N1, N2, N3, and REM) between the three groups (P > .05). After four weeks of treatment, although no statistically significant difference was shown in total recording time between the three groups (P > .05), the total sleep time, sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency, and four stages (N1, N2, N3, and REM) of the study group 2 were significantly improved than those of the control group and the study group 1 (P < .05). Before treatment, there was no significant difference in serum levels of 5-HT, DA, and MT between the three groups (P > .05), while the three indexes were evidently lower than the control group and the study group 1 after four weeks of treatment (P < .05). During the treatment process, 1 case of mild dry mouth occurred in the study group who did not receive special treatment, and the incidence of adverse reactions was 1/48. In the control group, there were 3 cases of dry mouth, 1 case of constipation, 1 case of diarrhea, 1 case of decreased appetite, and 1 case of nausea, whose symptoms were not specially treated, with the incidence of adverse reactions of 7/48. Hence the incidence of adverse reactions in the study group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < .05).

CONCLUSION: Combined treatment with modified Yangxin Anshen decoction and Western medicine improved sleep quality in elderly patients with schizophrenia and sleep disorders, which is available for wide clinical application.