To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Huobahuagen tablets combined with Yishen Xiaozhuo formula in the treatment of chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) with spleen-kidney qi deficiency and damp turbidity syndrome.

A total of 120 CGN patients with spleen-kidney qi deficiency and damp turbidity syndrome diagnosed at the outpatient clinic of Nephrology Department and National Medicine Hall of the First Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the National Medical Hall from December 2019 to December 2021 were enrolled in this study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups using the table of random number method: control group and treatment group (60 cases in each group). On the basis of conventional treatment, the control group was given valsartan tablets combined with Yishen Xiaozhuo formula, while the treatment group was given Huobahuagen tablets with Yishen Xiaozhuo formula. The clinical efficacy, efficacy-related outcomes, Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome scores, and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups during a follow-up period of 6 months.

A total of 56 patients were included in the treatment group and 58 in the control group. In the treatment group, there were 32 males and 24 females, while in the control group, there were 36 males and 22 females. The average age in the treatment group was (51.09±14.33) years, and it was (50.05±12.23) years in the control group. The overall effective rate of the treatment group was higher than that of the control group (94.6% vs 75.9%, P<0.01). After treatment, the 24-h urine protein level, serum creatinine, total cholesterol, and triglyceride were lower than those before treatment, while TCM syndrome scores were lower and albumin levels were higher than those before treatment in both groups (P<0.01). Compared with the control group, the 24-h urine protein and triglyceride levels were both lower in the study group (P<0.05 for both). The differences in safety indicators (alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase) were not statistically significant before and after treatment between the two groups (P>0.05 for both).

The combination of Huobahuagen tablets and Yishen Xiaozhuo formula can improve clinical efficacy, delay CKD progression, and improve renal function with appreciated safety in patients with CGN.