慢性腎臟病中醫藥治療病例報告

A Case Report on Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease with Traditional Chinese Medicine

Taiwan’s prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is roughly 11.9%(1),and according to the Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health andWelfare, approximately one in every 10 adults over 20 years of age in Taiwansuffers from CKD(2). CKD often progresses to chronic renal failure (CRF). By theend of 2010, Taiwan’s end-stage renal disease (ESRD) prevalence rate (2584 permillion people) ranked first in the world, with NTD30 billion spent on dialysis,accounting for nearly 50% of the reported outpatient expenditure on major injuries(3). It is the primary task of the national health policy to prevent and treat kidneydisease, and to delay its progress towards the terminal stage(1). Early symptoms ofkidney disease are not obvious, and sustained proteinuria and foam in urine is oneof the signals of renal dysfunction, and curing proteinuria determines the recoveryfrom CKD. The patient in this paper, Mrs. Yeh, was diagnosed with proteinuriathree years ago, and has undergone Western medicine treatment in the nephrologydepartment since then, with no improvement seen and urine protein of 3+,eGFR47. However, after receiving traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatmentsfor about three months, biochemical and urine routine examination results showedno proteinuria, with eGFR rising to 73.5. Then, following the Western-styledoctors’ advice, she returned to Western medicine treatments for chronic nephritis.After more than a year, the biochemical and urine routine test results indicatedabnormality, and no improvement was made for another six months. Aftertaking TCM for a month, no proteinuria was identified in biochemical or urineexamination results, to date, no deterioration or recurrence has been reported fromfollow-up feedback, and her GFR is maintained at low-risk G2.