Explore (NY). 2016 Oct 21. pii: S1550-8307(16)30166-5. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2016.10.007. [Epub ahead of print]
- 1Kyungheeyedang Oriental Medical Clinic, Suwon-City, Kyonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
- 2Division
of Allergy, Immune and Respiratory System, Department of Internal
Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul,
Republic of Korea.
- 3Clinical Research Division, Korea
Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea; Korean
Medicine Life Science, University of Science & Technology (UST),
Campus of Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of
Korea. Electronic address: omdjun@kiom.re.kr.
Abstract
The objective of our study is to present two cases showing the effects of traditional Korean herbal
medicines based on traditional Korean medicine (TKM) for the treatment
of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). One patient showed no response
to treatment with steroids and an immunosuppressive agent. Moreover, liver toxicity and side effects of steroids were evident. However, after he ceased conventional treatment and started to take an herbal medicine, his liver function normalized and the steroid side effects resolved. Ultimately, he achieved complete remission. Another patient with ITP had sustained remission after steroid
therapy in childhood, but extensive uterine bleeding and
thrombocytopenia recurred when she was 16 years old. She was managed
with steroids again for 2 years, but severe side effects occurred, and eventually she ceased taking steroids. She refused a splenectomy, and was then treated with a herbal
medicine for 7 months, ultimately leading to sustained remission again.
Many patients with resistance to first-line treatments tend to be
reluctant to undergo a splenectomy, considered a standard second-line
treatment. In conclusion, herbal
medicines, based on TKM, may offer alternative treatments for
persistent or chronic ITP that is resistant to existing first-line
treatments.
Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS:
herbal medicine; idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura; syndrome differentiation; traditional Korean medicine
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