Influence of Jianpi Pinggan Decoction plus Gegen combined with external therapy for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Tourette syndrome

  Objective  To investigate the influence of Jianpi Pinggan Decoction plus Gegen combined with external therapy on the immune function and helper T (Th) cells of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Tourette syndrome (TS).

  Methods  A total of 135 children with ADHD and TS were randomly divided into western medicine group (45 cases, receiving conventional western medicine treatment), Chinese medicine group (45 cases, using Jianpi Pinggan Decoction plus Gegen combined with external therapy) and combined traditional Chinese and western medicine group (45 cases, received conventional western medicine treatment and Jianpi Pinggan Decoction plus Gegen combined with external therapy), all patients were treated for two weeks. The levels of prolactin (PRL), immune function and Th cytokine levels before and after treatment among the three groups were compared, and the occurrence of adverse reactions was observed.

  Results  Compared with before treatment, the serum PRL levels of the three groups after treatment significantly increased, and the level of PRL in the combined traditional Chinese and western medicine group was significantly higher than the western medicine group and Chinese medicine group(P < 0.05). Compared with before treatment, the CD4⁺, CD4⁺/CD8⁺ and serum interferon γ (IFN-γ) levels of the three groups after treatment significantly increased, and the CD8⁺ and serum IL-4 levels significantly reduced, and the changes in the combined traditional Chinese and western medicine group were more obvious, the differences were statistically significant compared with the western medicine group and Chinese medicine group (P < 0.05). During the treatment, there was no significant difference in the incidence of total adverse reactions among the three groups (P>0.05).

  Conclusion  Jianpi Pinggan Decoction plus Gegen combined with external therapy can significantly reduce the serum PRL level in children with ADHD and TS, improve the immune function, and effectively regulate the levels of Th cells, and it has higher safety.