Identifying Chinese herbal medicine for premenstrual syndrome: implications from a nationwide database.

BACKGROUND: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) occurs in women during their reproductive age with a quite negative impact on their daily lives. Women with PMS experience a wide range of physical or psychological symptoms and seek treatment for them. Chinese herb medicine (CHM) is commonly used for PMS and the goal of this study is to investigate the prescription patterns of CHM for PMS by using a nationwide database. METHODS: Prescriptions of CHM were obtained from two million beneficiaries randomly sampled from the National Health Insurance Research Database, a nationwide database in Taiwan. The ICD-9 code 625.4 was used to identify patients with PMS. Association rule mining and social network analysis were used to explore both the combinations and the core treatments for PMS. RESULTS: During 1998-2011, a total of 14,312 CHM prescriptions for PMS were provided. Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San (JWXYS) was the CHM which had the highest prevalence (37.5% of all prescriptions) and also the core of prescription network for PMS. For combination of two CHM, JWXYS with Cyperus rotundus L. was prescribed most frequently, 7.7% of all prescriptions, followed by JWXYS with Leonurus heterophyllus Sweet, 5.9%, and Cyperus rotundus L. with Leonurus heterophyllus Sweet, 5.6%. CONCLUSIONS: JWXYS-centered CHM combinations were most commonly prescribed for PMS. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first pharmaco-epidemiological study to review CHM treatments for PMS. However, the efficacy and safety of these commonly used CHM were still lacking. The results of this study provide valuable references for further clinical trials and bench studies.

Investigation on Chinese herbal medicine for primary dysmenorrhea: implication from a nationwide prescription database in Taiwan.

OBJECTIVE: Primary dysmenorrhea is a common gynecological condition, for which Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been widely used in addition to western medicine. The aim of this study is to explore CHM commonly used to treat dysmenorrhea in young Chinese women. DESIGN: Observational retrospective study. SETTING: The National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. POPULATION: Women aged from 13 to 25 years with single diagnosis of primary dysmenorrhea. METHODS: CHM prescriptions made for primary dysmenorrhea women during 1998-2008 were extracted to build up CHM prescription database. Association rule mining was used to explore the prevalent CHM combination patterns in treating primary dysmenorrhea. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence and mechanisms of CHM combinations. RESULTS: Totally 57,315 prescriptions were analyzed and, on average, 5.3 CHM was used in one prescription. Dang-Gui-Shao-Yao-San (DGSYS) was the most commonly used herbal formula (27.2%), followed by Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San (JWXYS) (20.7%) and Wen-Jing-Tang (WJT) (20.5%). Corydalis yanhusuo and Cyperus rotundus were the most commonly used single herb, found in 33.1% and 29.2% of all prescriptions. Additionally, C. yanhusuo with C. rotundus is the most commonly used two CHM in combination, accounting for 14.24% of all prescriptions, followed by DGSYS with C. yanhusuo (10.47%). Multi-target effects on primary dysmenorrhea, such as analgesia, mood modifying and hormone adjustment, were found among commonly prescribed CHM in this study. CONCLUSIONS: This study discovered the potential importance of C. yanhusuo, C. rotundus and DGSYS in treating primary dysmenorrhea. Further clinical trials or bench studies are warranted based on the results.

Risks and benefits of menopausal hormone therapy in postmenopausal Chinese women.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess risks and benefits of conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) in postmenopausal Chinese women. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was undertaken using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, a population-based healthcare claims dataset. Eligible women aged 50 to 79 years were classified as exposed to CEE 0.625 mg/day with MPA 5.0 mg/day (estrogen [E] + progestin [P], n = 4,712) or CEE 0.625 mg/day only (E-only, n = 1,208) and were age-matched to unexposed women (n = 10,125). Follow-up was complete in 96% of the participants. The primary outcomes were coronary heart disease (CHD) and invasive breast cancer. The global index summarized risks of primary outcomes, stroke, pulmonary embolism, colon and endometrial cancers, hip fractures, and death. Time-to-event analyses were performed. RESULTS: Median durations of exposure in the E + P and E-only groups were 6.9 and 9 months, respectively. Median follow-up was 110 months. Hazard ratios (95% CI) for E + P exposure were as follows: myocardial infarction, 0.78 (0.51-1.19); CHD death, 1.21 (0.53-2.70); breast cancer, 1.48 (1.20-1.83); global index, 0.79 (0.72-0.87). Hazard ratios for E-only exposure were as follows: myocardial infarction, 0.76 (0.35-1.68); CHD death, 0.57 (0.11-2.80); breast cancer, 1.44 (0.99-2.10); global index, 1.09 (0.92-1.28). Per 10,000 person-years, there were 12 excess breast cancer cases with E + P exposure; there were 39 fewer global index events with E + P exposure. Adjusting for age, statin and aspirin use, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and hypertension did not significantly change estimates. CONCLUSIONS: In postmenopausal Chinese women, CEE with or without MPA was not associated with increased rates of CHD, but CEE with MPA may be associated with a higher breast cancer rate. E + P exposure conferred lower global index event rates.