Objective To observe the effect of the Chonggu granule on disease activity and bone metabolism in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods Eighty-four AS patients were randomly divided into control group and observation group, with 42 cases in each group. Patients in the control group received basic treatment with the sulfasalazine tablet combined with the celecoxib capsule orally. Patients in the observation group received oral Chonggu granule on the basis of the control group, and the course of treatment was 12 weeks. The changes of BASDAI, ASDAS, BASFI, and TCM symptom score before and after the treatment were observed. C-reactive protein (CRP), ESR, anti-inflammatory factor interleukin 10 (IL-10), proinflammatory factor interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and interleukin 17 (IL-17), bone metabolism indexes bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP), serum β collagen degradation product (β-CTX), type I procollagen, and amino terminal peptide (PINP) levels were detected before and after the treatment. Results There was no drop case in both groups. After the treatment, the ASAS20 standard rate was 83.33%, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (64.29%) (χ2=3.941, P<0.05). ASAS50 compliance rate was 71.43% in the observation group, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (47.62%, χ2=4.941, P<0.05). Compared to those before the treatment, the levels of BASDAI, ASDAS, BASFI, TCM symptom score, CRP, ESR, IL-1β, IL-17, and β-CTX in both groups decreased significantly after the treatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01), while the levels of IL-10 and BALP increased significantly (P<0.01). After the treatment, BASDAI, ASDAS, BASFI, TCM symptom score, CRP, ESR, IL-1β, IL-17, and β-CTX levels in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01), while IL-10, BALP, and PINP were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). There was no adverse reaction in both groups during the observation period. Conclusion Chonggu granule significantly reduces the disease activity in AS patients, up-regulates anti-inflammatory factors, down-regulates pro-inflammatory factors, and improves bone metabolism, with high safety. |