Modified Dang Gui Liu Huang Tang eases sleep sweats in elderly patients with terminal cancer

Background Patients with terminal cancer frequently suffer from sleep sweats, which occur while sleeping and cease after waking; the cause of these sweats is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a modified Dang Gui Liu Huang Tang in managing sleep sweats, as well as to identify any associated adverse effects. Methods We enrolled 41 patients with terminal cancer who were receiving hospice care. We excluded patients whose sweating had known causes, as well as those taking drugs that can affect the sweating threshold. Patients received a modified Dang Gui Liu Huang Tang twice a day for 10 consecutive days. Results The quantitative assessment revealed that sleep sweating was completely relieved in 29 (70.7%) patients, and that the average time required for a 50% decrease in sweating was 5.3 days. Using a visual analog sweating scale that ranged from 0 to 10, patients and caregivers estimated that the mean decrease in sweating was 7.6 and 8.0, respectively. Furthermore, 78.0% of patients experienced an increased appetite after treatment. The most common adverse events were diarrhea (14.6%), nausea (12.1%), and allergy (2.4%), although the severity of these symptoms was never greater than Grade 2, and they resolved after the treatment was stopped. Conclusion The results suggest that the modified Dang Gui Liu Huang Tang is safe and effective in treating sleep sweats of an unknown cause in elderly patients with terminal cancer.