TRADITIONAL KOREAN MEDICINE TREATMENT FOR LIVEDOID VASCULOPATHY: FIVE CASE REPORTS

Abstract

Introduction: This study was performed to evaluate the clinical effect of a Korean medicine treatment for livedoid vasculopathy (LV). Methods: Five patients with LV were selected who exhibited blood stasis due to qi stagnation (SSC.) caused by external cold (SSC) or dual deficiency of qi and blood (SSC) and who had suffered from chronic episodic LV for at least 2 years. The treatment consisted of Korean herbal medicine, Haechungtang (SSC). Five cases were evaluated based on visual symptoms. The symptoms at first visit were scored on a visual analogue scale (VAS) from 1 to 10. Results: Following treatment, all of the symptoms except pigmentation disappeared completely in all cases. No symptom control with corticosteroids or warfarin was necessary. Conclusion: These case reports suggest that HC could be effective for treating LV. Follow-up studies and further clinical studies are needed to evaluate recurrence and to provide more efficient treatment.