Efficacy of Xiaoluo Granules combined with antituberculosis drugs in treatment of patients with cervical lymph node tuberculosis

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of Xiaoluo Granules combined with antituberculosis drugs in the treatment of patients with cervical lymph node tuberculosis.

Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 118 patients with cervical lymph node tuberculosis who were treated in our hospital from January 2021 to January 2023. The patients were divided into control group (57 patients receiving conventional antituberculosis drug treatment) and observation group (61 patients receiving Xiaoluo Granules combined with antituberculosis drug treatment) based on their treatment methods. The efficacy, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptom scores, peripheral blood T-cell subsets, and type 1/type 2 helper T cell (Th1/Th2)-related cytokine levels, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), were compared between the two groups.

Results After 6 months of treatment, the total effective rate in the observation group was higher than that in the control group(P < 0.05). After 6 months of treatment, the scores for pain, low fever, fatigue, anorexia, and night sweats decreased in both groups, and the scores for these symptoms in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). After 6 months of treatment, CD3⁺, CD4⁺, and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ increased, while CD8⁺ decreased in both groups. Additionally, CD3⁺, CD4⁺, and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ were higher, while CD8⁺ was lower in the observation group than those in the control group (P < 0.05). After 6 months of treatment, TNF-α, IL-6, and IFN-γ levels decreased, while IL-10 levels increased in both groups. Furthermore, TNF-α, IL-6, and IFN-γ levels were lower in the observation group than in the control group, while IL-10 levels were higher(P < 0.05).

Conclusion Xiaoluo Granules combined with antituberculosis drugs can significantly improve the efficacy in the treatment of cervical lymph node tuberculosis and enhance immune function by upregulating CD3⁺, CD4⁺, CD4⁺/CD8⁺, and IL-10 levels and downregulating CD8⁺, TNF-α, IL-6, and IFN-γ levels.