Treatment Experience of Nephrotic Syndrome on July 14, 1995

Treatment Experience of Nephrotic Syndrome on July 14, 1995

A patient with nephrotic syndrome had proteinuria (++++) and was treated at a certain hospital with large doses of hormones and cyclophosphamide for one month, but there was no reduction in proteinuria. When admitted to our hospital, the patient was still taking 12 hormone tablets (60 mg) and 50 mg of cyclophosphamide three times a day. In view of this, I advised continuing the original Western medicine treatment while adding traditional Chinese medicine: fried loquat leaves, Chinese yam, Astragalus membranaceus, Cuscuta, Euryale ferox, Rosa laevigata, lily, Codonopsis pilosula, Atractylodes macrocephala, Poria cocos, licorice, Pinellia ternata, tangerine peel, Aucklandia, cardamom, cinnamon twig, white peony, danpi, peach kernel, honeysuckle, forsythia, dandelion, Patrinia scabiosaefolia, motherwort, angelica, chuanxiong, safflower, salvia, indigofera, su stem, cicada slough. After one month of medication, there was no obvious therapeutic effect. I instructed the patient to continue taking the medication and discontinue cyclophosphamide, reducing the hormone dosage by one tablet per week. When the dosage was reduced to 5 tablets, the patient’s proteinuria suddenly dropped to (+). I then instructed the patient to continue taking the above medication, and eventually the proteinuria completely disappeared, along with the cessation of hormone use!

This case demonstrates: ① The combination of traditional Chinese medicines such as Bashan Compound, Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan, and Yi Shen Tang is indeed highly effective in treating nephrotic syndrome. ② When hormones reach saturation, the effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine appears much later, often only after one month of treatment; therefore, patients must be advised to be patient and persistent. Physicians should also make firm decisions and insist on long-term, slow treatment to achieve results in the end. ③ The efficacy of hormones and cyclophosphamide may gradually diminish in some patients after discontinuation.