Objective: To explore the clinical efficacy of Qinzhu Liangxue Decoction (QZLXD), a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, in patients with blood-heat type psoriasis vulgaris.
Methods: Fifty-eight patients diagnosed with blood-heat type psoriasis vulgaris were randomly divided into two groups: QZLXD group (30 cases) and ampeptide group (28 cases). Patients in both groups were treated for 4 weeks. Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score and the level of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were obtained to evaluate the efficacy of the two treatments.
Results: There was a better curative result in QZLXD group than in ampeptide group (P<0.05). The response rates in QZLXD and ampeptide groups were 83.33% and 64.28% respectively. DLQI score was also significantly improved during 4-week treatment in QZLXD and ampeptide groups (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in VEGF level between QZLXD and ampeptide groups.
Conclusion: QZLXD is remarkably advantageous in treatment of psoriasis vulgaris of blood-heat syndrome and improvement of patient's quality of life. The mechanism may be related to decrease in serum VEGF level and action against neogenesis of blood vessels.