PMID- 15673199
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20050510
LR  - 20220330
IS  - 0192-415X (Print)
IS  - 0192-415X (Linking)
VI  - 32
IP  - 6
DP  - 2004
TI  - A pentaherbs capsule as a treatment option for atopic dermatitis in children: an 
      open-labeled case series.
PG  - 941-50
AB  - Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used in patients with atopic 
      dermatitis (AD), but its therapeutic effects are debatable. We evaluated the 
      clinical and biochemical effects of a TCM capsule (PentaHerbs capsule) in 
      children with AD. After a run-in period of 4 weeks, children old enough to manage 
      oral medication were admitted and their disease severity was evaluated by the 
      SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index. Blood was obtained for complete blood 
      count, total and allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE), biochemical studies 
      and inflammatory markers of AD severity [serum cutaneous T cell-attracting 
      chemokine (CTACK), macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC), thymus and 
      activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP)] 
      prior to, and after 3 months of, TCM use. Three PentaHerbs capsules twice a day 
      were prescribed for 4 months. Patients were followed monthly to ensure 
      compliance, and SCORAD scores were obtained at each visit. Five boys and four 
      girls participated in the study. All patients had detectable food or 
      inhalant-specific IgE in serum. There was significant improvement in the overall 
      and component SCORAD scores. There were no significant differences between the 
      pre- and post-treatment values of the serum CTACK, MDC, TARC and ECP levels but 
      CTACK showed a decreasing trend (p = 0.069). No clinical or biochemical evidence 
      of any adverse drug reaction was observed during the study period. The PentaHerbs 
      capsules were well tolerated by the children and apparent beneficial effects were 
      noted clinically. A larger, randomized placebo-controlled study is required to 
      confirm the efficacy of this formulation for AD.
FAU - Hon, Kam-Lun Ellis
AU  - Hon KL
AD  - Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales 
      Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China. ehon@hotmail.com
FAU - Leung, Ting-Fan
AU  - Leung TF
FAU - Wong, Yin
AU  - Wong Y
FAU - Lam, Wai-Kei Christopher
AU  - Lam WK
FAU - Guan, De-Qi Bill
AU  - Guan DQ
FAU - Ma, Kwok-Chiu
AU  - Ma KC
FAU - Sung, Yn-Tz Rita
AU  - Sung YT
FAU - Fok, Tai-Fai
AU  - Fok TF
FAU - Leung, Ping-Chung
AU  - Leung PC
LA  - eng
PT  - Clinical Trial
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - Singapore
TA  - Am J Chin Med
JT  - The American journal of Chinese medicine
JID - 7901431
RN  - 0 (Capsules)
RN  - 0 (Drugs, Chinese Herbal)
RN  - 37341-29-0 (Immunoglobulin E)
SB  - IM
MH  - Capsules
MH  - Child
MH  - Dermatitis, Atopic/blood/*drug therapy
MH  - Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage/*therapeutic use
MH  - Food Hypersensitivity/immunology
MH  - Humans
MH  - Immunoglobulin E/blood
MH  - Patient Selection
MH  - *Phytotherapy
EDAT- 2005/01/28 09:00
MHDA- 2005/05/11 09:00
CRDT- 2005/01/28 09:00
PHST- 2005/01/28 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2005/05/11 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2005/01/28 09:00 [entrez]
AID - S0192415X04002545 [pii]
AID - 10.1142/S0192415X04002545 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Am J Chin Med. 2004;32(6):941-50. doi: 10.1142/S0192415X04002545.