A traditional Chinese medicine versus Western combination therapy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: two-stage study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
2011

Study Protocol for a Trial Comparing Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sample size: 120 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Zhang Chi, Jiang Miao, Lu Aiping

Primary Institution: Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China

Hypothesis

The CM pattern for one herbal therapy could be determined by comparing the differences of CM information between the responsive and non-responsive patients treated with the herbal therapy.

Conclusion

This study aims to improve the efficacy of rheumatoid arthritis treatment by using a pattern-based approach in clinical trials.

Supporting Evidence

  • The study is the first to investigate whether a pattern-based approach can improve responses in Chinese herbal medicine trials.
  • The trial aims to identify CM symptoms that correlate with better efficacy in treating rheumatoid arthritis.

Takeaway

This study is trying to find out which symptoms help traditional Chinese medicine work better for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Methodology

A two-stage multi-center trial with an open-label first stage and a randomized controlled second stage.

Limitations

The complexity of CM pattern classification may hinder the understanding and application of the findings.

Participant Demographics

Patients aged 18 to 70 diagnosed with active rheumatoid arthritis.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1745-6215-12-137

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