Research on the clinical efficacy of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of menopausal depression: Integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment

Research on the clinical efficacy of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of menopausal depression: Integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of depression

Abstract Objective: Use integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine therapy to treat female menopausal depression patients and observe its efficacy. Methods: 96 patients with menopausal depression in our hospital were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group, with 48 cases in each group. The control group received conventional antidepressant therapy, and the treatment group received oral Chinese medicine on the basis of the control group. Compare the curative effects of the two groups of patients. Results: The total effective rate of the treatment group was 89.6%, which was significantly higher than the effective rate of 73.0% in the control group, with statistical significance (P<0.05). Conclusion: Integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine therapy is more effective in treating menopausal depression than conventional antidepressant and anxiety drugs, and is worthy of clinical promotion.

Keywords Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Depression and Menopause

CLC Number: R277.7; R749.42 Document Identification Code: B Article Number: 1006-1533(2012)17- 0021-02

Menopausal depression is a common disease among menopausal women. As social pressure increases, its incidence rate gradually increases, which has a certain impact on patients' physical and mental health and quality of life [1]. Currently, in the clinical treatment of menopausal depression, drugs based on serotonin reuptake inhibitors are usually used to treat patients as anti-anxiety and antidepressant, but a small number of patients cannot tolerate them [2]. In order to seek better treatment methods, this study uses a combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine to treat patients with menopausal depression and observes its clinical efficacy.

1 Materials and methods

1.1 General information

Women with menopausal depression admitted to the People's Hospital of Yincheng District, Luohe City, Henan Province from September 2009 to June 2011 There were 96 patients with menopausal depression, all of whom met the diagnostic criteria for menopausal depression [3], and depression caused by organic diseases was excluded. All patients had a Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) score of ≥18 points, and no steroids or antidepressants were used 1 month before treatment. Age ranged from 45 to 55 years old, with an average age of (48.5±2.5) years. 96 patients were randomly divided into treatment group and control group, 48 patients in each group. There was no significant difference in age, disease duration, HAMD score and other data between the two groups of patients, and the data were comparable.

1.2 Methods

Both groups of patients were treated with conventional antidepressant drugs, such as fluoxetine or paroxetine, 200 mg orally, qd, plus nilestriol 2 mg orally, once every half month. If the patient has symptoms of anxiety and insomnia, low-dose alprazolam can be used. On the basis of conventional antidepressant drug treatment, the treatment group was additionally treated with Xuefu Zhuyu Capsules (produced by Tianjin Hongrentang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), 2.4 g, bid orally. During drug treatment, patients should be provided with appropriate psychological counseling. The treatment course lasted 8 weeks. After the treatment, the HAMD score was performed to compare the efficacy of the two groups of patients and observe the adverse reactions.

1.3 Criteria for judging efficacy

Observe the patient's symptom performance before and after treatment, and use the HAMD scale to score. The patient's total score is calculated and compared with the score before treatment. If the patient's symptoms completely or basically disappear, and the total score of the HAMD scale decreases by ≥75%, it is judged to be significantly effective; if the symptoms are significantly improved, and the total score of the HAMD scale decreases by 25% to 75%, it is considered effective; if the symptoms do not improve or even worsen , and the decrease in the total score of the HAMD scale is small (<25%), it is invalid [3].

1.4 Statistical analysis

To summarize the therapeutic effects of the two groups of patients, use SPSS 18.0 statistical software and use the x2 test for statistical analysis. P<0.05 is considered statistically significant.

2 Results

2.1 Comparison of efficacy

After treatment, the therapeutic effects of the two groups of patients were compared by HAMD score (Table 1). Comparison of the total effective rate between the two groups, x2=4.38, P<0.05, the difference is significant, indicating that the treatment group is more effective than the control group.

2.2 Observation of adverse reactions

After the treatment, the blood routine, urine routine, and electrocardiogram of the two groups of patients were reviewed, and no abnormalities were found. During the treatment, only 3 patients in the treatment group experienced mild gastric discomfort, which later resolved spontaneously; in the control group, 13 patients experienced adverse reactions, including 5 patients with dizziness and 6 patients with dry mouth. Discomfort, 2 patients had poor appetite, which was relieved after symptomatic treatment.

3 Discussion

Women in the menopausal stage, due to the decrease in estrogen secretion levels in the body and the increase in follicle-stimulating hormone secretion, combined with the increasing pressure from society, family, life and work, etc. The pressure can easily lead to autonomic nervous system disorders, resulting in mental symptoms such as anxiety, irritability and even depression, seriously affecting the patient's quality of life and causing trouble to the family. According to traditional Chinese medicine, menopausal depression can be classified into the categories of "depression syndrome", "visceral irritability" or "pre- and postmenopausal symptoms" based on its clinical manifestations. The main reason is the imbalance of the five internal organs and qi caused by poor emotions and stagnation of the organs, resulting in various mental symptoms. The key to its treatment is nourishing yin and nourishing the kidneys, soothing the liver and relieving depression, and calming and calming the nerves.

This study uses integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine to treat patients. During the treatment process, Xuefu Zhuyu Capsules combined with conventional antidepressants were used to treat patients with menopausal depression, while the control group only received antidepressant treatment. Compare. The main active ingredients of Xuefu Zhuyu Capsule are peach kernel, safflower, Jihu, Sichuan peony root, Bupleurum root and red peony root. They can improve the blood supply of organs and tissues, activate blood circulation, remove blood stasis, unblock meridians, soothe the liver and regulate Qi. and other effects, and at the same time, the coordination between each drug makes it have a good therapeutic effect [4]. The results showed that the total effective rate of the treatment group was 89.6%, which was higher than the 73.0% of the control group. Comparing the adverse reactions of the two groups, the treatment group has better efficacy in treating menopausal depression patients than simple Western medicine antidepressant treatment, and has fewer adverse reactions, which can improve patients' compliance with antidepressant drugs and further improve the efficacy. This method is safe and effective and deserves to be promoted and used.

References

[1] Li Qingya, Wang Xiaohui, Song Ruihua, et al. Treatment of menopausal depression with traditional Chinese medicine [J]. Journal of Modern Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, 2008, 17(4): 639 -640.

[2] Si Tianmei. Clinical application of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) antidepressants[J]. Chinese General Medicine (Doctor Readers Edition), 2010, ( 3): 26-27.

[3] Song Dan. Clinical observation of 58 cases of menopausal depression treated with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine [J]. Medical Information, 2011, 24(6): 3529-3530.

[4] Liu Ru. Controlled study of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of menopausal depression[J]. Beijing Chinese Medicine, 2007, 26(8): 512-513.

(Accepted Draft date: 2012-03-08)