Clinical Evaluation of the Effect of Daio (Rhei Rhizoma) on the Progression of Diabetic Nephropathy with Overt Proteinuria

We studied the effect of traditional herbal medicines containing Daio (Rhei Rhizoma) on the long-term progression of diabetic nephropathy with overt proteinuria in eight patients [mean age 60 (45–73) years; duration of diabetes 18 (7–36) years]. At the beginning of the study, mean HbA1c was 8.2% and mean serum creatinine was 1.0 ± 0.3 mg/dl. Every patient had diabetic neuropathy and retinopathy. Three of the patients had hypertension and four had ischemic heart disease. After 107 ± 25 months, the mean serum creatinine level had significantly increased to 4.8 ± 2.6 mg/dl. The mean serum creatinine levels of five patients not advancing to dialysis treatment increased from 1.2 ± 0.3 to 3.2 ± 1.0 mg/dl, and the three patients requiring dialysis increased from 0.8 ± 0.1 to 7.5 ± 2.1 mg/dl. In the control group, treated without traditional herbal medicines, the mean serum creatinine level had significantly increased from 1.0 ± 0.3 to 9.5 ± 1.9 mg/dl after 71 ± 12 months. All of the control group required dialysis treatment. Diabetic nephropathy with overt proteinuria is reported to develop into renal failure after 6–7 years. In this retrospective study, traditional herbal medicines with Daio were considered to be effective in prolonging the pre-dialysis period of diabetic nephropathy.