Efficacy of combination therapy with unkeito and boiogito for menopausal arthralgia: A retrospective observational study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Context: Arthralgia affects menopausal patients. Aim: Here, we report a retrospective observational study evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of a combination of unkeito and boiogito for menopausal arthralgia. Settings and Design: Patients treated with a combination of unkeito and boiogito for menopausal arthralgia between April 2020 and October 2022 at three Japanese Kampo outpatient clinics were retrospectively examined. Treatment effectiveness was determined based on the patient’s description of pain. Adverse events associated with this treatment regimen were also recorded. The study design was approved by the Tokai University Ethics Committee (Approval number: 22R196). Methods and Material: This study was conducted by retrospectively analysing the medical records of patients who attended the three medical facilities. All patients received Kampo medicines based on traditional medical diagnoses. Outpatients with a diagnosis of menopausal arthralgia were selected, and information on those who were treated with a combination of unkeito and boiogito was collected. Statistical Analysis: The age, height, and weight of all patients are represented as the mean ± standard deviation. Statistical analyses were not performed in this study as there was no comparison group. Results: During the study period, nine patients with menopausal arthralgia received the unkeito and boiogito combination. Four patients showed a “significant” response to the combination treatment, four showed an “effective” response, and one patient showed an “ineffective” response. One patient reported headache as an adverse event. Conclusion: The combination of unkeito and boiogito may be effective in the treatment of menopausal arthralgia.