A retrospective cohort study on the clinical efficacy of Shanhuang Jiangzhi tablets and Atorvastatin calcium tablets in the treatment of carotid atherosclerosis

The efficacy and safety of the combination therapy of Shanhuang Jiangzhi tablets and atorvastatin in treating primary hyperlipidemia and carotid atherosclerosis remain unclear and require further investigation. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the medical records of the neurology wards from 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2022. Patients were divided into observation and control groups based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The control group received atorvastatin calcium tablets at a dose of 20 mg per day, whereas the observation group received the same dose of atorvastatin plus Shanhuang Jiangzhi tablets at 2.4 g per day. The treatment period for both groups was 2 years. Blood lipid profiles and carotid ultrasound indicators were compared before and after treatment. All the data were statistically analysed using SPSS 26.0. This study included 319 atherosclerosis patients, with 162 in the observation group (average age 62.84 ± 11.90 years, 44.4% men) and 157 in the control group (average age 62.62 ± 10.33 years, 52.2% men). No significant differences were found in baseline characteristics between the two groups (p > 0.05). Following treatment, significant reductions in total cholesterol (4.38 ± 1.07 vs. 4.71 ± 1.11) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (2.78 ± 0.80 vs. 3.11 ± 0.92) were observed in the observation group compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Additionally, improvements in the carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) (1.63 ± 0.09 vs. 1.80 ± 0.05) and plaque scores (4.06 ± 0.26 vs. 4.17 ± 0.29) were more pronounced in the observation group (p < 0.05). This study investigated the use of Shanhuang Jiangzhi tablets combined with atorvastatin calcium for carotid atherosclerosis, offering effective options for traditional Chinese medicine in managing atherosclerosis and hyperlipidaemia.