Clinical Study Evaluation of Rhubarb Supplementation in Stages 3 and 4 of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Copyright © 2014 Irfan A. Khan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Objective. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Rhubarb supplementation in patients of chronic kidney disease. Material and Methods. This study was a prospective comparative study conducted in patients of chronic kidney disease (stages 3 & 4) attending Renal Clinic of Department of Medicine, JN Medical College & Hospital, AMU, Aligarh. Patients were randomly divided into two interventional groups. Group I (Control) was given conservative management while Group II (Rhubarb) received conservative management along with Rhubarb capsule (350mg, thrice daily) for 12 weeks. Haemogram and renal function tests were measured at 0, 4, 8, and 12 weeks of treatment. Results. There was progressive improvement in clinical features in both the groups after 12 weeks of treatment but Rhubarb group showed more marked improvement as compared to control group. Both groups showed gradual improvement in the biochemical parameters as compared to their pretreated values which was more marked in Rhubarb supplemented group. There was reduction in blood glucose, blood urea, serum creatinine, and 24 hour total urine protein (TUP). Therewas increase in haemoglobin, 24 hour total urine volume (TUV), and glomerular filtration rate (GFR).Therewas no statistical difference in two groups with respect to side effects