Effects of the Japanese traditional medicine Goreisan on adverse events affecting mucosal edema in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage treated with clazosentan

Despite successful management of pulmonary complication with fluid restriction protocol in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) patients treated with clazosentan, management of symptoms related to mucosal edema, such as diarrhea, stuffy nose, and difficulty in breathing, remains challenging. Hence, we investigated the effect of Goreisan shown to be effective in the treatment of symptoms related with mucosal edema in aSAH patients treated with clazosentan. Patients with aSAH who received clazosentan for vasospasm after aneurysm obliteration were prospectively enrolled in the study. Fluid balance parameters and the incidence of vasospasm, pulmonary edema, mucosal edema-related symptom (such as diarrhea and swelling of the nasal mucosa) were compared between these patients treated with Goreisan (Group G) and without Goreisan (Group NG). As results, Groups NG and G comprised 29 and 40 consecutive patients, respectively. No significant differences in fluid intake, urine volume, frequency of furosemide injection, incidence of vasospasm, pulmonary edema, or discontinuation of clazosentan treatment between the two groups were found over the treatment course, although refractory hyponatremia occurred less frequently in Group G than in Group NG (0% and 10.3%, p = 0.039, respectively). The incidence of diarrhea and the relative mucosal thickness was also significantly lower in Group G than in Group NG (7.3% and 21.9%; p = 0.0004, 113.8% vs. 175.4%; p = 0.001). Clazosentan treatment combined with diuretics and Goreisan was effective in managing diarrhea and swelling of the nasal mucosa. Our treatment protocol may be reasonably applied to patients with aSAH who are treated with clazosentan.