[Treatment of refractory severe autoimmune disease by combined therapy with Chinese drug and autohemopoietic stem cell transplantation].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the clinical effect of Chinese herbal medicine combined with auto-hemopoietic stem cell transplantation for refractory severe autoimmune disease (RSAID).

METHODS

Auto-hemopoietic stem cell transplantation was conducted for the treatment of 7 patients with RSAID, including 4 cases of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 2 myasthenia gravis (MG) and 1 polymyositis (PM) with the FAC program (consisting of fludarabine, antithymocyte globulin, and cyclophosphamide FAC) as for pretreatment. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was given orally after transplantation to patients according to their syndrome type.

RESULTS

The hemopoiesis function was smoothly re-established in all patients, with their clinical symptoms and signs obviously improved, laboratory indexes negatively conversed or obviously decreased, and withdrawal or dose reducing of medicines.

CONCLUSION

Combined use of TCM after auto-hemopoietic stem cell transplantation can accelerate patients' hemopoiesis function re-establishment, with significant effects in reducing complications, improving clinical symptoms and signs.