Successful TCM Treatment Case

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)

Mr. Zhou, a male outpatient, 56 years old.

 Chief Complaint: The patient has been suffering joint pains of the limbs for 6 years and in the recent 27 days his condition becomes worse along with fever sense.

 December 13, 2001

Mr. Zhou had joint pains of the limbs since 1995 and the condition became worse day by day. He also got partial swelling sometimes. So he went to our local hospital and was diagnosed with rheumarthritis. He was given  treatment for rheumarthritis and achieved a short relief. But the suffering recurred. By the end of 1998, he got obvious swellings of the wrist joints as well as distortion and dysfunction of the metacarpophalangeal articulations. He had been treated as rheumarthritis for 3 years but the symptoms occurred repeatedly, which affected his normal daily work so much.

In the year of 2001, he was sent to the local hospital for operation because of cholecystitis. One week after his operation, Mr. Zhou had server joints pains suddenly and could not get up in bed anymore. On November 16, 2001 the patient began to fever and his temperature reached 39.6°C-40.2°C. So he took treatment in the hospital for half a month but there was no improvement can be seen. Further more, he was worsened and had developed some new symptoms such as much sweating, breath shortness, dizziness, insomnia, poor appetite and reduced weight so much. Therefore the local hospital informed that his life was in danger.

On Dem. 13, 2001 Mr. Zhou was sent to another bigger hospital by his family. After a comprehensive physical examination, they found accumulation of fluid in his pleural cavities, hydropericardium, less ascites, reduced amount of the whole blood, hemoglobin 8g, blood platelet 80 thousand, eruthrocutes sedimentation rate(ESR) 56mm/h, slight damage of the liver function. Through the test result of his kidney function, they found his urea mitrogen 13.3mm OI/L and the routine urine examination result indicated albumen (++++), occult blood (+++), granular cast 0-2, 24h and the total protein is 46g, haemproteins 16g, globin 20g.

According to the above test results and the overall analysis on his condition Mr. Zhou was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus and nephritis with poor kidney function.

He was in hospital for treatment for 10 days but of no obvious improvement. In addition, because his family could not afford the high hospital bills, so Mr. Zhou decided to leave hospital and return to Huaihua. Although he came back  home, his family was still very concerned about his condition and looked for help everywhere. By great efforts they were told that Professor Yang in our Red Cross Hospital is very famous for SLE treatment, at last Mr. Zhou was carried to our hospital by his family for outpatient treatment. The patient's condition was very bad, characterized as fever, joint pains, obvious swellings of the wrist joints, inability to get up by himself, sweating, shortness of breath, insomnia, very thin, fatigue, no food intake, yellowish urination, reddish tongue body, yellowish and greasy tongue coating,  and fine, slippery and rapid pulse. After a comprehensive diagnosis Professor Yang made a conclusion that his condition was caused by accumulated toxin and heat, and right qi exhaustion. So Professor Yang take the treatment strategy to cool blood, clear heat, resolve toxin, quicken blood, remove stasis, dispel damp, free vessels, support right and dispel evil. During the treatment, Mr. Zhou was treated by herbal tea combined with western medicine taken orally. After treatment in this way for one week, his temperature became normal. Half a month later, the joint pains all over the body have greatly relieved, and 3 weeks later Mr. Zhou  gained much strength to do some movement and became able to live without lying in bed. His spirit and food intake were also improved a lot. He could deal with his daily life himself. Professor Yang advised him continue with the herbal tea treatment for 3 months. Till Mar 15, 2002 the accumulation of fluid in his pleural cavities, hydropericardium and shortness of breath had disappeared completely. Through the test result we could find his urea mitrogen was turn normal, liver function was in a normal state and his total protein increased to 62g, haemproteins 32g. From routine urine examination result we could see the albumen (++), occult blood is negative.

From the treatment result we could see the toxin and heat reduced, the right qi restored, the evil was cleared away partially but some of still remained in the blood. In his further treatment course, Professor Yang prescribe the formula to clear heat, resolve toxin, quicken blood, remove stasis so that clear away the langdu root. After another 3 months treatment, Mr. Zhou got a basic recovery. Since he was worried about the recur of his disease, Mr. Zhou asked for  herbal tea for another year to consolidate the treatment effect. Up to June 2003 Mr. Zhou stopped the herbal tea and lived as normal as before. By the end of the year 2005, Mr. zhou was 60 year old and retired to spend his life at home. Until now he is very healthy.