Decrease in shear wave elastography values and associated risk factors in patients of NAFLD with Unani treatment: clinical case series

IF 2.2 4区医学 Q3 INTEGRATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

Explore-The Journal of Science and Healing Pub Date : 2025-08-29 DOI:10.1016/j.explore.2025.103243

Asim Ali Khan , Md. Wasi Akhtar , Gulnaz Azmi , Sadia Nikhat

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introduction

Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a global health concern, and leading cause of liver cirrhosis and carcinoma, with no approved treatment till date. In Unani medicine, the management of fat deposition in liver is done with mufatteḥ-i-sudad (de-obstruent) and muḥallil-i-waram (anti-inflammatory) drugs, to expel morbid matter and restore hepatic functions. This study was done to evaluate the efficacy of Unani drugs in NAFLD on specific biochemical and radiological parameters.

Material and methods

This case series was carried out on five patients of ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD, between December 2024 to May 2025. Drugs recommended in classical Unani literature for the treatment of fat deposition in liver (R. emodi, D. costus, A. absinthium and Lac) were prescribed for 3 months. NAFLD was graded by shearwave elastography before and after the treatment. Safety and efficacy were assessed clinically and with biochemical investigations.

Results

There was a noticeable decrease in BMI, ALP, and SGPT. TAI values decreased in all patients although some patients showed better improvement than others. There was no significant change in haemogram and KFT, indicating the safety of the formulation. The drugs were well-tolerated and no adverse effects were reported.

Discussion

The observations of this study are highly encouraging as the test drugs treated the hepatic pathology, and also mitigated risk factors (obesity, hyperlipidemia), which are known to aggravate NAFLD progression. With further researches, Unani drugs used in this study may provide the much-needed holistic management of NAFLD and its associated comorbidities.

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接受Unani治疗的NAFLD患者横波弹性成像值下降及相关危险因素：临床病例系列

非酒精性脂肪性肝病（NAFLD）是一个全球性的健康问题，也是肝硬化和肝癌的主要原因，迄今为止尚无批准的治疗方法。在Unani医学中，肝脏脂肪沉积的管理是使用mufatteḥ-i-sudad（去阻塞）和muḥallil-i-waram（抗炎）药物，以排出病态物质并恢复肝功能。本研究旨在评价Unani药物治疗NAFLD的特定生化和放射学指标的疗效。材料和方法本病例系列研究于2024年12月至2025年5月期间对5例超声诊断为NAFLD的患者进行了研究。经典乌纳尼文献推荐治疗肝脏脂肪沉积的药物（苦艾草、木香草、苦艾草和紫胶）开3个月。治疗前后采用剪切波弹性成像对NAFLD进行分级。临床及生化检查对其安全性和有效性进行了评价。结果两组患者BMI、ALP、SGPT均明显降低。所有患者的TAI值均有所下降，但有些患者的改善情况优于其他患者。血象和KFT无明显变化，说明该制剂安全。药物耐受性良好，无不良反应报告。本研究的观察结果非常令人鼓舞，因为试验药物治疗了肝脏病理，也减轻了已知会加重NAFLD进展的危险因素（肥胖、高脂血症）。通过进一步的研究，本研究中使用的Unani药物可能为NAFLD及其相关合并症的整体治疗提供急需的帮助。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Explore-The Journal of Science and Healing 医学-全科医学与补充医学

CiteScore

3.00

自引率

8.30%

发文量

179

审稿时长

25 days

期刊介绍： EXPLORE: The Journal of Science & Healing addresses the scientific principles behind, and applications of, evidence-based healing practices from a wide variety of sources, including conventional, alternative, and cross-cultural medicine. It is an interdisciplinary journal that explores the healing arts, consciousness, spirituality, eco-environmental issues, and basic science as all these fields relate to health.