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Effect of Artemisia annua extract on treating active rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized controlled trial

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Abstract

Objective

To investigate the effect and safety of the complementary use of the extract of Artemisia annua L. (EAA) on treating active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods

A randomized controlled clinical trial was performed. All the 159 participates with active RA were randomly assigned to the control group (80 cases) and EAA group (79 cases) using concealed random allocation method. In the control group, patients were medicated with leflflunomide and methotrexate for 48 weeks; and patients in the EAA group were administrated with leflflunomide, methotrexate plus EAA (30 g/d). At the time points of 0, 12, 24 and 48 weeks, the clinical outcome measures, including objective pain score, tenderness score, number of painful joints, number of swollen joints, health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) score for quality of life, levels of serum rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-cyclic citrullinated protein antibodies (CCP-Ab), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), visual analogue score for pain (VAS), and the overall effificacy were detected and recorded.

Results

The objective pain score, number of painful joints and ESR at 12 weeks, tenderness score and HAQ at 24 weeks, and the tenderness score, number of painfull joints, number of swollen joints, HAQ, CRP, RF and CCP-Ab at 48 weeks were signifificantly improved in the EAA group compared with the control group (P<0.01 or P<0.05). At 24 and 48 weeks, the overall effificacy of the EAA group was signifificantly higher than the control group (P<0.01). There were signifificantly higher withdrawal rate of corticosteroids within 12 weeks post-treatment and lower incidence rate of adverse effects in the EAA group compared with the control group (P<0.01 or P<0.05).

Conclusion

EAA plus methotrexate and leflflunomide were more effective and safer than the routine use of methotrexate and leflflunomide in the treatment of active RA.

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Acknowledgment

We are grateful to all the participants and staffs in the trial.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Rheumatology Center of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine, General Hospital of Chengdu Military Area Command PLA, Chengdu, 610083, China

    Min Yang, Ming-yang Guo, Yong Luo, Ming-dong Yun, Jiao Yan & Tao Liu

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China

    Chang-hong Xiao

Authors
  1. Min Yang
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  2. Ming-yang Guo
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  3. Yong Luo
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  4. Ming-dong Yun
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  5. Jiao Yan
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  6. Tao Liu
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  7. Chang-hong Xiao
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Min Yang.

Additional information

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 810726), the Scientific Research Grants Program of Sichuan Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. 2012-E-063), the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" Scientific Research Funds Project of Chinese PLA (No. BWS11J067), and the Hospital Program Fund for Research Talents (No. 2013YG-B007)

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Yang, M., Guo, My., Luo, Y. et al. Effect of Artemisia annua extract on treating active rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized controlled trial. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 23, 496–503 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-016-2650-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-016-2650-7

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