The Effect of Puerarin Injection on Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Chengdu PLA General Hospital119 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this study is to access the effect (week 12/week 24) of puerarin injection on carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients despite routine anti-rheumatic treatment.

* Controlled, randomized trial * RA patients under routine anti-rheumatic care were randomized to receive the treatment with or without 400 mg puerarin injection * Assessments were made at entry, 12 and 24 weeks * The overall sample size was assessed before the enrollment * Randomization was performed using concealed random allocation method * The collected data was processed and assessed by two reviewers * All the measurement and analysis procedures concerning CIMT were performed by a single ultra sonographer and a single reader, who were blinded to patient profiles and group assignment * The reproducibility of the ultrasonographic method was test before the trial

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

119

Conditions

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Interventions

Puerarin injection 400 mgDRUG

Patients receive treatment with oral anti-rheumatic agents and/or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, prednisone, aspirin, statins, bone metabolism regulators and gastric mucosal protective agents on as-needed basis.Furthermore, patients were administrated with 400 mg intravenously infused puerarin injection once a day.Each treatment course lasted for 2 weeks followed by a regular time interval of 15 days.

ControlDRUG

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 75 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * patients with a definite diagnose of rheumatoid arthritis(RA) were included if they met the classification criteria for RA established by the American Rheumatism Association (ACR) and European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) in 2010 * aged from 18 to 75 years * without conflict to the written, informed consent signed prior to the enrollment * no severe hepatic or renal disorders * no known carotid artery stenosis * no coagulation disorders * no hypertension Exclusion Criteria: * being in pregnancy, lactation period or under a pregnancy plan * being allergic to the test drug * not compatible for the trial medication * without full legal capacity

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Changes from baseline in Carotid intima-media thickness at 24 weeks

Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) was using a high-resolution B-mode ultrasound machine (iU22 xMATRIX, Philips, Germany). CIMT was measured twice by a single experienced operator using an 10-MHz linear vascular probe. Patients were let resting in a relaxed supine position, with the head turned gently to the contralateral side when the electrocardiogram was recorded. The imaging system (QLab 6.0, Philips, Germany) was applied to measure the CIMT signals from the proximal internal carotid artery (the arterial segment 10 mm distal to the carotid bifurcation), the carotid bulb and the distal common carotid artery (the arterial segment 10 mm proximal to the carotid bulb). The mean CIMT was calculated from the value of five arterial segments. All the measurement and analysis procedures were performed by a single ultra sonographer and a single reader, who were blinded to patient profiles and group assignment.

Time frame: At 0 week, 12 weeks, 24 weeks