The Korean journal of internal medicine

The Korean Association of Internal Medicine (대한내과학회)
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Effectiveness of Korean Red Ginseng on fatigue in patients with rheumatic diseases: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

  • Soo-Kyung Cho (Department of Rheumatology, Hanyang University Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases) ;
  • Yeo-Jin Song (Department of Rheumatology, Hanyang University Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases) ;
  • Jung-Yong Han (Department of Rheumatology, Hanyang University Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases) ;
  • Hye Won Kim (Hanyang University Institute for Rheumatology Research) ;
  • Eunwoo Nam (Hanyang University Institute for Rheumatology Research) ;
  • Yoon-Kyoung Sung (Department of Rheumatology, Hanyang University Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases)
  • Received : 2023.08.22
  • Accepted : 2023.11.27
  • Published : 2024.07.01
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Abstract

Background: To evaluate the effectiveness of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) in managing fatigue in Korean patients with rheumatic diseases Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to KRG (2 g/day, n = 60) or placebo (n = 60) groups for 12 weeks of blind phase and then open-label KRG from weeks 12 to 24 (placebo-KRG, continuous-KRG). The primary outcome was the improvement rate in fatigue, defined by an increase in Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue scores at 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes included changes in FACIT-Fatigue and fatigue visual analog scale (VAS) between 0 and 12 weeks and those changes in both indices at 24 weeks. Results: The study enrolled 120 patients (Sjogren syndrome [n = 53], rheumatoid arthritis [n = 43], or both diseases [n = 24]). The mean age was 50.9 ± 11.6 years, with 97.5% being female. Baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups. The improvement rate in FACIT-Fatigue after 12 weeks was higher in the KRG group than in the placebo group, but the difference was statistically insignificant (38.3% vs. 26.7%, p = 0.242). Improvement in fatigue was observed in both groups by increases in FACIT-F (4.6 vs. 4.0) and reductions in fatigue VAS (-16.0 vs. -12.2) scores at 12 weeks. The most frequently reported adverse events during KRG use were pruritus and urticarial, with no significant difference between the two groups. Conclusions: Both KRG and placebo groups showed significant reductions in fatigue. KRG treatment for 24 weeks did not reduce fatigue symptoms more than the placebo in patients with rheumatic diseases.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This study was supported by the 2018 grant from Korean Society of Ginseng.

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