Objective

2

This study aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of

Guben Kechuan Granules

（固本咳喘颗粒） in treating chronic bronchitis （CB） with lung

qi

weakness pattern.

Methods

2

A multicenter， randomized controlled trial was conducted， and 180 patients with CB of lung

qi

weakness pattern were randomly divided into 120 cases in the treatment group and 60 cases in the control group according to a 2∶1 ratio. The control group received health education for 24 weeks， while conventional symptomatic treatment was given when acute exacerbation of CB occurred. Treatment group was treated with the oral administration of

Guben Kechuan Granules，

2 g each time， 3 times a day， for a total of 24 weeks on the basis of treatment of the control group. Both groups were followed up for 24 weeks after 24 weeks of treatment. Primary effectiveness indicators included the number of CB acute exacerbations occurence during the treatment and follow-up period， and the total number of CB acute exacerbations from the start of treatment to the end of follow-up. Secondary effectiveness indicators included the details of CB acute exacerbations， i.e.， time to first acute exacerbation， time between acute exacerbations， duration of each time of acute exacerbation， and acute exacerbation symptom severity scores， and lung function indices. The scores of cough， sputum， and wheeze and total symptom scores were compared prior to

treatment， at 4， 8， 12， 16， 20， and 24 weeks of treatment， and at 24 weeks of follow-up. The occurrence of adverse events during the study period was recorded and safety indices including blood routine， liver function， kidney function， and urine routine were tested.

Results

2

A total of 179 participants completed the trial including 119 in the treatment group and 60 in the control group. Compared to pre-treatment scores within the group， the treatment group showed reductions in cough， sputum， and wheeze scores， and total symptom scores at weeks 4， 8， 12， 16， 20， and 24 of treatment， as well as at 24 weeks of follow-up； in the control group， cough scores decreased at weeks 16， 20， and 24， sputum and wheeze scores decreased at week 24 of treatment and at 24 weeks of follow-up， and total symptom scores decreased at weeks 20， 24 of treatment， and at 24 weeks of follow-up （

P

＜0.05）. Compared with the control group， the treatment group showed reductions in the number of CB acute exacerbations occurence during the treatment and follow-up period， and the total number of CB acute exacerbations from the start of treatment to the end of follow-up， the duration of acute exacerbations， the acute exacerbation symptom severity scores， and the scores for cough， sputum， wheeze， and total symptoms at weeks 8， 12， 16， 20， 24 of treatment， and at 24 weeks of follow-up； while the time to the first acute exacerbation of CB was significantly prolonged in the treatment group （

P

＜0.05 or

P

＜0.01）. There were no statistically significant differences in lung function indicators between groups before treatment and at 24 weeks after treatment （

P

＞0.05）. Safety indicators showed no significant abnormalities before or after treatment in either group， and the incidence of adverse events during the treatment period showed no significant differences between the groups （

P

＞0.05）.

Conclusion

2

Guben Kechuan Granules

can reduce the risk of acute exacerbations in CB patients with lung

qi

weakness pattern， improve clinical symptoms such as cough， sputum， and wheeze， and show good safety.