Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Patients With Hyperuricemia. A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Double-Blinded Clinical Trial.

The prevalence of hyperuricemia and gout is increasing in Taiwan. It is probably contributed by adapting to Western diet and lifestyle. Previous studies have demonstrated the relationship between hyperuricemia with hypertension, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and chronic renal disease. While Western medicine shows promising effects in treating hyperuricemia and gout, we are searching for an alternative in traditional Chinese medicine with both safety and efficacy in treating hyperuricemia.

We conducted a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial in adults with hyperuricemia. Sixty patients with serum uric acid level more than 8 mg/dl were enrolled. Patients were then randomized into three arms: Traditional Chinese Medicine formulae: "Wu-Ling San", "Yin-Chen Wu-Ling San" or placebo for 4 weeks. Efficacy and safety were evaluated at Week 2, 4 and 8. Primary endpoint was the serum uric acid<6 mg/dL at Week 4. Secondary endpoints were the differences between groups in serum uric acid at Week 2 and 8, serum SGPT, SGOT, creatinine, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, fasting blood glucose, body weight, blood pressures and frequency of gouty attack at Week 4.