Effect of Tiaoxie Yizhi Formula combined with atomoxetine and biofeedback therapy of school-age children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the effect of Tiaoxie Yizhi Formula combined with atomoxetine and biofeedback therapy on the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham-IV Rating Scale (SNAP-IV) score as well as Clinical Global Impression (CGI) score of school-age children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Methods: Clinical data of 85 school-age children with ADHD who were admitted to Dushu Lake Hospital from April 2019 to June 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients treated with biofeedback therapy and atomoxetine for 1 month were defined as control group (n = 42), while those treated with Tiaoxie Yizhi Formula in addition to what was given control group were defined as study group (n = 43). Efficacy, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) symptom scores, SNAP-IV score, CGI score and cerebral electrophysiological indices were compared between the groups. The scores of the main and secondary syndromes were also compared between two groups.Results: Treatment response rate in study group was significantly higher than in control group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in scores of the main syndromes and secondary syndromes, SNAP-IV score or CGI score between the two groups before treatment (p > 0.05). However, scores of the two groups decreased significantly after treatment, and study group had significantly lower scores than control group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in sensorimotor rhythms (SMR) waves, β waves, or θ waves between the two groups before and after treatment (p > 0.05).Conclusion: Tiaoxie Yizhi Formula plus atomoxetine plus biofeedback therapy improves ADHDsymptoms more tha n biofeedback therapy and atomoxetine combination as shown by the reduction in TCM, SNAP-IV and CGI scores. However, investigations will need to be carried out using a larger sample size in order to validate these findings.