Effect of Chinese Herbal Medicine for Nourishing Yin, Supplementing Qi, and Activating Blood on the Thl/Th2 Immune Balance in Peripheral Blood in Patients with Primary Sjogren＇s Syndrome

Objective:To observe the effect of Chinese herbal medicine for nourishing yin,supplementing qi,and activating blood on the expression of interferon-γ(IFN-γ)/interleukin-4(IL-4) in peripheral blood and disease activity in primary Sjogren’s syndrome(pSS) patients,and to study the relationship between the immune balance of Th1/Th2 and the disease activity.Methods:A total of 66 pSS patients were randomized with tossing coins method into two groups:the integrative therapy group(34 cases) and the control group(32 cases);and 28 healthy subjects were taken as the normal group.The integrative therapy group was treated by Chinese herbal medicines for nourishing yin,supplementing qi,and activating blood combined with hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets and the control group was treated with hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets.The treatment course was 3 months for both groups.The levels of serum immunoglobulin G(IgG),erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR),IFN-γand IL-4 in peripheral blood were measured before and after treatment.Results:Compared with the normal group,the levels of IgG,ESR,IFN-γand IL-4 were significantly increased in pSS patients(P