Efficacy and Safety of Jinhuang Ointment in Treating Acute Gouty Arthritis: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Honglin Wang¹Huiling Mei²Yuyu Duan³Wei Hua¹Aoshuang Xu^4*Lin Lu^1*

• ¹Department of Orthopedics, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
• ²Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology,, Wuhan, China
• ³College of Chinese Medicine, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China
• ⁴Institute of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

Objective Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for acute gout often carry risks of gastrointestinal adverse effects and hepatic, renal, and cardiovascular toxicity. To explore safer treatment options and reduce the use of these drugs and associated risks, this study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of external application of Jinhuang Ointment in the treatment of acute gouty arthritis, providing evidence for optimizing clinical management strategies. Methods In this retrospective study, 104 patients (July 2023–June 2024) were assigned to: a control group (n=35, conventional therapy: celecoxib, diet, water intake, sodium bicarbonate), a T1 group (n=35, conventional therapy plus topical diclofenac), and a T2 group (n=34, conventional therapy plus Jinhuang Ointment). Treatment duration was 7 days. Primary outcomes included joint pain (VAS), tenderness, swelling, and mobility. Secondary outcomes were serum uric acid and inflammatory markers (CRP, ESR). Adverse events occurring during the treatment period were also documented. Results Baseline characteristics were comparable across groups. After treatment, all groups showed significant improvements in VAS scores, joint swelling, tenderness, and mobility (P < 0.05). The T2 group exhibited a significantly shorter time to pain improvement compared to both the T1 and control groups (P < 0.05). Both T1 and T2 groups showed better outcomes in joint tenderness, swelling, and joint mobility than the control group (P < 0.05), though only T2 demonstrated significant superiority in swelling reduction (P < 0.05). Laboratory results indicated that CRP and ESR decreased more markedly after treatment in T1 and T2 than in controls (P < 0.05), with no intergroup difference in uric acid reduction. Adverse event rates were similar among groups, with no significant differences observed. Conclusion Jinhuang Ointment combined with conventional therapy significantly improves joint pain and swelling, accelerates symptom relief, and exhibits particular efficacy in swelling reduction, without increasing safety risks.Its multi-component, multi-target mechanism provides a potential explanation for the clinical efficacy observed, thereby supporting the need for higher-quality studies to further verify its application value.