AUTHOR=Liu Meifang , Di Yuan Ming , Zhang Lei , Yang Lihong , Zhang La , Chen Junhui , Wang Ruobing , Xie Xiaoning , Lan Fang , Xie Liping , Huang Juan , Zhang Anthony Lin , Xue Charlie Changli , Liu Xusheng 

TITLE=Oral Chinese Herbal Medicine plus usual care for diabetic kidney disease: study protocol for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Endocrinology

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2024.1334609

DOI=10.3389/fendo.2024.1334609

ISSN=1664-2392

ABSTRACT=Background: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has become the leading cause of kidney failure, causing a significant socioeconomic burden worldwide. The usual care for DKD fails to achieve satisfactory effects in delaying the persistent loss of renal function. A Chinese herbal medicine, Tangshen Qushi Formula (TQF), showed preliminary clinical benefits with a sound safety profile for people with stage 2-4 DKD. We present the protocol of an ongoing clinical trial investigating the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of TQF compared to placebo in delaying the progressive decline of renal function for people with stage 2-4 DKD.A mixed methods research design will be used in this study. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial will evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of TQF compared to