Mohammad Akhtar Siddiqui
Jamia Hamdard, India
Title: Antiviral effect of Unani formulation in the management of chronic hepatitis B
Biography
Biography: Mohammad Akhtar Siddiqui
Abstract
Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) is a viral infection caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) which produces a chronic necro-inflammatory condition in the liver. A number of Unani formulations have been used successfully in the treatment of hepatitis in Unani medicine since centuries. India has second highest HBV infected population after China with over 40 million hepatitis B infected patients and alone contributes 9% of the total CHB cases of the world. Most people with CHB in India are unaware of their HBV infection, putting them at a serious risk of developing cirrhosis or liver cancer which are life threatening. Antiviral drugs such as entecavir, tenofovir, interferon etc. leads to kidney deterioration, nausea, vomiting, thrombocytopenia, resistance on prolong usage as well as highly expensive when used for longer duration. We have evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of decoctions of Unani herbal drugs in the management of chronic hepatitis B in 30 patients. Decoctions were given orally for morning and evening dose for 3 months. Test drug was evaluated for its efficacy and safety on HBsAg, HBeAg, HBV DNA, liver function test (LFT), kidney function test (KFT), blood sugar, haemogram and urine examination at 45 days and 3 months. Highly significant results were observed on HBsAg, HBeAg, HBV DNA, liver function test (LFT) which provide evidence that the decoction of Unani herbal drugs had antiviral, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective and analgesic effects. The test drugs were found safe and effective for the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis B.