[Treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis by sanhuang yilong decoction].

Objective: To observe the clinical effect of Sanhuang Yilong Decoction (SYD) in treating active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Ninety patients of active RA were equally assigned to the treated group and the control group, they were treated by SYD and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs respectively. The effects on both clinical and laboratory indexes of patients were observed and compared.

Results: The improvement of clinical and laboratory indexes in the treated group was superior and initiated earlier, as compared with those in the control group, and the total effective rate after 2-week, 4-week and 8-week medication was 49.76%, 80.98% and 85.27% respectively, all were better than those in the control group (all P < 0.05).

Conclusion: SYD is a scientifically prescribed recipe. As used in treating active RA, it displays an initiating time shorter than non-steroid drugs, and could abate the inflammation of joint synovial membrane and adjust the immunity of patients better, so as to enhance the total effectiveness.