Inhibitory Effect of Chunghyul-dan on Stroke Recurrence in Small Vessel Disease Patients: A 5-Year Observational Study

We investigated the stroke recurrence rate and the rate of adverse effects induced by an herbal medicine, Chunghyul-dan, administered to patients over a 5-year period. We prescribed 600 mg Chunghyul-dan a day to patients with small vessel diseases and investigated stroke recurrence, adverse effects, and drug compliance for 5 years. The primary outcome was the prevalence of stroke recurrence (in 3, 4, and 5 years). The secondary outcome was the frequency of adverse effects induced by Chunghyul-dan. We recruited 400 patients. Among them, 270, 233, and 195 patients completed 3, 4, and 5 years of follow-up, respectively. Among patients who completed 3, 4, and 5 years of follow-up, cumulative recurrent stroke occurred in 7 (2.6%), 11 (4.7%), and 12 (6.2%) patients. There were no adverse effects. We suggest that Chunghyul-dan might be useful for the inhibition of stroke recurrence by reducing microangiography progression. Further study is needed to confirm our hypothesis.