Persistent undifferentiated arthritis successfully treated with the Japanese herbal medicine “Eppikajutsuto”

ObjectiveUndifferentiated arthritis (UA) is a rheumatic disease that is difficult to handle because there are still no standard guidelines for the treatment of patients with persistent UA. We encountered 3 patients with persistent UA successfully treated with the Japanese herbal (Kampo) medicine “Eppikajutsuto”.SubjectsThree patients, a 53-year-old woman, a 62-year-old man, and a 35-year-old man, respectively, complained of joint pain. They did not fulfill the ACR/EULAR criteria for Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 2010, although blood analyses demonstrated elevations in serum levels of c-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rates, and Matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3).Intervention and outcomeNSAIDs were administered by former doctors, but their symptoms continued. An eppikajutsuto decoction, one of the Kampo medicines, was administered orally on the basis of Kampo diagnostic criteria. After 6 months, this treatment resulted in decreases in arthralgia and serum levels of inflammatory parameters and MMP-3.ConclusionThese observations suggest that Eppikajutsuto could potentially be an option for the treatment of UA under certain conditions.