Abstract
Introduction This study is the first to report a significant improvement of Soyangin patients with persistent night sweats through herbal medicine treatment. Methods We reviewed the total of 6 Soyangin patients with moderate to severe persistent night sweats who visited the outpatient clinic. The patients received herbal medicine treatment alone for 4 to 9 weeks. We evaluated the treatment outcome using Night Sweats Degree criteria, developed by Lea and Aber(1985), every other 2 to 4 weeks. In addition, we recorded the treatment period from the first visit to symptom alleviation. Results Persistent night sweats improved significantly in all 6 Soyangin patients, and 4 out of 6 patients had better sleep quality after the treatment. It took 1 to 3 weeks until the symptom alleviated from moderate or severe to mild, and 3 to 7 weeks until the patients have no sign of night sweating. The progression of persistent night sweats and treatment period until no sign of symptom varied according to the Soyangin External and Internal disease diagnosis. Discussion The Soyangin patients having persistent night sweats treated with herbal medicines showed a significant improvement in their symptoms. This result proposes the possibility of using herbal medicine in primary care patients experiencing persistent night sweats.