Efficacy Observation of Tanreqing Injection in the Treatment of Hand, Foot, and
Efficacy Observation of Tanreqing Injection in the Treatment of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease
Efficacy Observation of Tanreqing Injection in the Treatment of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), primarily affecting preschool-aged children, manifests as maculopapular rashes or blisters on the hands, feet, and oral cavity. Severe cases may involve meningitis, encephalitis, encephalomyelitis, pulmonary edema, or circulatory failure, with fatalities mainly attributed to brainstem encephalitis and neurogenic pulmonary edema. The disease spreads via infected individuals or asymptomatic carriers through the digestive tract, respiratory droplets, or close contact. As a self-limiting condition, most patients recover within a week without complications if progression to severe cases is prevented. Thus, fever resolution and rash clearance are key efficacy endpoints in treatment studies. Tanreqing Injection is composed of five herbal ingredients: Scutellaria baicalensis (黄芩), bear bile powder (熊胆粉), goat horn (山羊角), Lonicera japonica (金银花), and Forsythia suspensa (连翘). Administered intravenously, it acts rapidly. In vitro studies confirm its inhibitory effects against pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus hemolyticus-B, and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as direct antiviral activity. It reduces mortality and viral hemagglutination titers in influenza-infected mice and enhances immune function for indirect antiviral effects. In 2009, Tanreqing Injection was included in the Clinical Guidelines for Traditional Chinese Medicine in HFMD Prevention and Treatment.
Combined Use of Tanreqing Injection and Antiviral Drugs From April to August 2010, Dr. Lü Chongjiang and Dr. Huang Li from Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine conducted a study on HFMD patients at Shatou Branch. Methods:
Treatment group: Tanreqing Injection (0.3–0.5 mL/kg/day, max 10 mL) diluted in 5% or 10% glucose (100–250 mL) + antiviral drug (10–15 mL/kg/day) via intravenous drip, twice daily for 5 days.
Control group: Same antiviral regimen without Tanreqing. Efficacy Criteria (based on Clinical Diagnostic Standards for Cure and Improvement):
Fever resolution: ≤3 days (marked improvement), 4–5 days (improvement), >5 days (ineffective).
Rash clearance: Same timeline.
Marked efficacy: Normal temperature, healed ulcers/blisters, no complications.
Effective: Near-normal temperature, reduced ulcers/blisters.
Ineffective: Persistent symptoms or complications (pneumonia, encephalitis, myocarditis). Results:
Treatment group: Total efficacy rate 83.3% (18/30 showed fever/rash resolution within 72 hours).
Control group: Total efficacy rate 56.7% (9/30 within 72 hours).
Statistical significance: P < 0.05. No allergic or adverse reactions occurred.
Efficacy of Tanreqing Retention Enema Dr. Ma Hongjun, Dr. Sun Lei, and Dr. Tan Xiaojie from Jiaozhou Central Hospital (Qingdao, Shandong) treated 90 infants with HFMD using Tanreqing retention enema. Methods:
Patients: 48 males, 42 females; 11 aged <6 months, 34 aged 6–12 months, 45 aged 1–3 years; 69 had fever.
Intervention: Tanreqing Injection (10–20 mL warmed to 37°C) via retention enema (30 minutes), twice daily for 5–10 days, alongside antipyretics, antibiotics, and rehydration. Efficacy Criteria:
Marked efficacy: Fever/rash resolved within 5–7 days.
Effective: Symptoms improved within 7–10 days.
Ineffective: No improvement or worsening after 10 days. Results:
Marked efficacy: 80 cases.
Effective: 8 cases.
Ineffective: 2 cases.
Total efficacy rate: 97.8%.
Symptom resolution times:
Fever: 2.68 ± 1.33 days.
Rash: 4.42 ± 2.31 days.
Oral ulcers: 3.18 ± 1.65 days.
Cure time: 4.21 ± 2.37 days.
60 children with confirmed mild HFMD were randomly divided into treatment and control groups (30 each). Both groups received routine rehydration and antipyretics; antibiotics were added for concurrent infections.
The combination therapy reduced antiviral resistance risk, shortened treatment duration, and avoided side effects (e.g., rash, chills, injection site pain).
No adverse reactions were reported.
Conclusion:
Retention enema with Tanreqing Injection offers rapid efficacy, minimal dosage, fewer systemic reactions, and ease of administration, overcoming challenges in pediatric oral medication.
(Reported by Wang Nan)
