A clinical study on the efficacy of modified Sangsu Guiling Decoction in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension due to left sided heart disease

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy/effectiveness of modified Sangsu Guiling Decoction (SSGD) formula when used in combination with standard Western medicine in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension caused by left-sided heart disease (PH-LHD). Methods: A randomized controlled study was carried out on 60 PH-LHD patients recruited from Changzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. The patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups, each with 30 subjects. The conventional Western medicine treatment for the control group comprised oral intake of 5 mg of andrisentan daily, 0.5 g of amoxicillin capsules every 6 to 8 h (for the patients who had infections, with daily dose not exceeding 4 g); 2.5 mg of enalapril, once daily, and 25 mg of metoprolol, twice daily. The study group received 400 mL of the modified SSGD formula in soup form, in addition to the conventional Western medicine therapy. The treatments lasted three months. In both groups, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) symptom scoring, 6-minute walk test (6MWT), WHO functional classification, echocardiography, and assay of biochemical indicators were carried out, both before and after the 3-month treatment course. Results: After 3-month treatments, there were significant improvements in the study group (p < 0.05) in terms of clinical symptom scores, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), 6MWT distance, systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP), WHO functional classification, and soluble suppression of tumorigenesis-2 (sST2) levels, relative to the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The combined use of modified SSGD formula and standard Western medicine improves the conditions of PH-LHD patients, enhances physical endurance, and reduces pulmonary systolic pressure. The combination treatment also mitigates inflammatory response, and minimizes the adverse effects caused by TCM, resulting in the enhancement of overall quality of life. Subsequent studies should involve long-term follow-up in order to determine the long-term effects of treatment.