scholarly journals Acupuncture Therapy on Patients with Flaccid Hemiplegia after Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2022 ◽  
Vol 2022 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Yang Tu ◽  
Wei Peng ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
QingHong Hao ◽  
Yang Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Medicine ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Effective Rate ◽  
Berg Balance Scale ◽  
Assessment Scale ◽  
Life Assessment ◽  
Synthesis Methods ◽  
Main Indicator ◽  
State Examination

Background. Acupuncture is a commonly used complementary treatment for flaccid hemiplegia caused by stroke, but evidences from previous randomized trials were inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in a comprehensive synthesis. Methods. We searched literature from eight databases from their inception to December 2020. We included randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for the treatment of flaccid hemiplegia following stroke. The meta-analysis was carried out using Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 16.0. The main indicator was the Fugl-Meyer Assessment scale. The modified Barthel Index scale, Quality Of Life Assessment scale, Mini-Mental State Examination scale, Berg Balance Scale, Neurological Deficit Assessment scale, and the treatment effective rate were used to measure the secondary indicators. Adverse events from individual studies were used to determine safety. Results. Our search returned 7624 records, of which 27 studies involving a total of 1,293 patients fulfilled our inclusion criteria. To be noted, our results indicated that significant improvements in the scores of the primary indicator showed better clinical scores among the three groups with acupuncture than without acupuncture: acupuncture compared with rehabilitation, 13.53 (95% CI 11.65–14.41, P < 0.01 ); acupuncture plus rehabilitation compared with rehabilitation, 9.84 (95% CI 6.45–13.24, P < 0.01 , I2 = 98%); and acupuncture plus Western medicine therapy compared with Western medicine, 16.86 (95% CI 15.89–17.84, P < 0.01 , I2 = 38%), and the secondary indicators showed the same tendency. Conclusion. Acupuncture was effective and safe in the patients with flaccid hemiplegia after stroke, although there was high heterogeneity between studies.

scholarly journals Efficacy and Safety of Modified Yunu-Jian in Patients with Periodontitis: A Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Yuanyuan Yue ◽  
Meng Gao ◽  
Yanru Deng ◽  
Jiemin Shao ◽  
Yingguang Sun
Keyword(s):  
Western Medicine ◽  
Combined Therapy ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Effective Rate ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
China National Knowledge Infrastructure ◽  
Knowledge Infrastructure ◽  
Oral Inflammation

Background. Modified Yunu-Jian (mYJ), a Chinese medicine (CM) formula, is thought to clear heat and nourish yin. Clinically, it is often used to treat oral inflammation. However, its efficacy remains controversial. Methods. The study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mYJ for treating patients with periodontitis. We searched electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang database, VIP database, and CBM) from inception to December 2020. Only randomized controlled trials investigating modified Yunu-Jian, with or without other medications, against controlled intervention in the treatment of patients diagnosed with periodontitis were included. Both Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 15.0 software were used to analyze the data. The Cochrane Collaborations risk of bias tool was used to assess the quality of the methods. Results. Thirteen clinical trials, involving 1179 participants, were included in our investigation. The results showed that the combination of mYJ with western medicine improved the total effective rate compared with western medicine alone (RR = 1.17, 95% CI (1.12, 1.23), P  < 0.00001). The sensitivity analysis and Harbord’s test ( P  = 0.255) both showed that the results were statistically robust. Moreover, the periodontal indexes (GI, SBI, PLI, and PD; P  < 0.00001) of patients with periodontitis were also significantly improved after receiving the combined therapy. No serious adverse reactions were observed in the experimental groups. Conclusions. Evidence from the meta-analysis suggested that mYJ appeared to be effective and relatively safe for treating periodontitis. Because of the low quality of the methods used in the included RCTs, further studies with larger sample sizes and well-designed models are required to confirm our findings.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness and Safety of Bushen Huoxue Decoction on Treating Coronary Heart Disease: A Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Lan-Chun Liu ◽  
Qi-Yuan Mao ◽  
Chao Liu ◽  
Jun Hu ◽  
Lian Duan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coronary Heart Disease ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Western Medicine ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Effective Rate ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Bushen Huoxue Decoction

Objective. The aim of this meta-analysis was to systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula Bushen Huoxue Decoction (BSHXD) in treating coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods. Randomized controlled trials (RCTS) of BSHXD in treating CHD were searched until March 2020, through six electronic databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, CNKI, WanFang, SinoMed, and VIP. This study used the Cochrane Risk Test bias tool in the Cochrane Handbook to assess the quality of the methodology. Review Manager (RevMan) 5.3 was used to analyze the results. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria were applied in the classification of evidence quality. Results. Ten RCTs involving 901 patients were finally included in this meta-analysis. It revealed that the effectiveness of BSHXD in treating CHD was significantly better than that of the conventional western medicine (CWM) treatment ( P < 0.00001 ). The effective rate of BSHXD treatment group on ECG was also significantly higher than that of CWM group ( P < 0.00001 ). The low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was decreased in the treatment groups compared with those in the control groups ( P < 0.00001 ). There was also a reduction in frequency and duration of angina pectoris ( P < 0.00001 ). There were no significant differences in TC level ( P = 0.08 ), TG level ( P = 0.86 ), and HDL level ( P = 0.76 ) between the treatment and control groups. Five studies had informed adverse events, including nausea and diarrhea. Conclusion. Our findings laid the foundation to the use of TCM Formula BSHXD in combination with conventional western medicine for treating CHD. However, due to the limitation of the quality of the included researches, in addition to potential reporting bias, the above conclusions still need verification by higher-quality and better-designed studies.

scholarly journals Efficacy of Ligustrazine Injection as Adjunctive Therapy in Treating Acute Cerebral Infarction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huikai Shao ◽  
Xia He ◽  
Lijuan Zhang ◽  
Shan Du ◽  
Xiaoqing Yi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Infarction ◽  
Blood Viscosity ◽  
Western Medicine ◽  
Adjunctive Therapy ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Outcome Measure ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Effective Rate ◽  
Acute Cerebral Infarction

Background: Ligustrazine injection has been widely used as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction (ACI) during the past decades in China, but its clinical efficacy is not yet well confirmed. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of ligustrazine injection as adjunctive therapy for ACI.Methods: Databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Cochrane Library, Embase, Sino-Med, Wanfang Database, and Chinese Science Citation Database were systematically searched for the published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on ligustrazine injection in the treatment of ACI until November 2020. Meta-analysis was performed on the primary outcome measure (i.e., clinical effective rate) and the secondary outcome measure [i.e., neurological deficit score (NDS), fibrinogen, low shear blood viscosity (LBV), and high shear blood viscosity (HBV)]. The quality of the included RCTs was assessed according to the M scoring system (the refined Jadad scale). Sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were conducted according to the methodological quality, years of publication, and sample size.Results: Nineteen RCTs, containing 2022 patients, were included in this study. Meta-analysis indicated that ligustrazine injection combined with Western medicine could achieve a better effect in the treatment of ACI than using Western medicine alone in terms of clinical effective rate (RR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.19–1.29), NDS (MD = −3.88; 95%CI, −4.51 to −3.61), fibrinogen (MD = −0.59; 95% CI, −0.76 to −0.42), LBV (MD = −2.11; 95% CI, −3.16 to −1.06), and HBV (MD = −0.88; 95% CI, −1.20 to −0.55).Conclusions: This research indicated that ligustrazine injection as adjunctive therapy seemed to be more effective than using western medicine alone in treating ACI. However, more evidence is required to confirm the efficacy of ligustrazine injection due to the low methodological quality of the included RCTs.

scholarly journals Fuke Qianjin Combined with Antibiotic Therapy for Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Yu Chen ◽  
Shaobin Wei ◽  
Li Huang ◽  
Mei Luo ◽  
Yang Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Abdominal Pain ◽  
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease ◽  
Inflammatory Disease ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Lower Abdominal Pain ◽  
Effective Rate ◽  
Chinese Patent ◽  
Meta Analyses

Background. Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) without timely and proper treatment can cause long-term sequelae; meanwhile, patients will be confronted with the antimicrobial resistance and side effects. Chinese patent medicine as a supplement is used to treat PID with satisfactory clinical efficacy. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of Fuke Qianjin (FKQJ) combined with antibiotics in the treatment of PID. Methods. Eight electronic databases and other resources were searched to make a collection of the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from 1990 to 2019. The RCTs contrasting the effect of FKQJ combined with antibiotics regimens and antibiotics alone in reproductive women with PID were included. The antibiotics regimens are all recommended by the guidelines. Two reviewers independently screened the studies, extracted the data, and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies. Then, the meta-analyses were performed by RevMan 5. 3 software if appropriate. Results. Twenty-three RCTs (2527 women) were included in this review. The evidence showed that FKQJ combined with antibiotics improved the markedly effective rate compared to antibiotics alone group (RR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.27 to 1.49, I2 = 42%), shortened the improvement time of low abdominal pain (MD = −1.11, 95% CI −1.39 to −0.84, I2 = 38%), and increased the rate of lower abdominal pain improvement (RR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.55, I2 = 0). The implementation of adjuvant reduced the recurrent rate compared with antibiotics alone (RR = 0.27, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.56, I2 = 0%). Conclusions. Based on available evidence, FKQJ combined with antibiotics therapy have certain outcomes on increasing the markedly effective rate, decreasing the recurrent rate compared with antibiotics alone group. This therapy appears to improve lower abdominal pain and curtail the relief time. Due to the low quality and the risk of bias, any high-quality evidence or longer follow-up period should be advisable and necessary in the future.

scholarly journals Adjuvant Treatment of Crohn’s Disease with Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Meta-Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Yue Wang ◽  
Ming Li ◽  
An-Sheng Zha
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Total Effective Rate ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Clinical Score ◽  
Effective Rate ◽  
Mucosal Healing ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Maintenance Rate ◽  
Remission Maintenance

The objective of the meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in the treatment of Crohn’s disease (CD). Pubmed, Embase, Medline, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature, Wanfang Database, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched (through October 2018). The quality of randomized clinical trials meeting the inclusion criteria was assessed and the data were extracted according to the Cochrane Review Handbook v5.0 by two evaluators. A meta-analysis was performed using the software Stata 12.0. Twelve randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were selected. The studies were of low methodological quality. The meta-analysis indicated that treatment with TCM and Western Medicine (WM) was significantly superior compared to treatment with WM alone with regard to total effective rate, remission maintenance rate, reduction of C-reactive protein (CRP), reduction of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), clinical score reduction, and reduction of adverse events. Mucosal healing was improved in both the TCM-WM and WM groups; however, there were no significant differences between the two groups. There was a certain publication bias in the studies with regard to efficiency, adverse reactions, mucosal healing, and recurrence rate; however, there was no obvious publication bias with regard to other indicators. TCM, as an adjuvant therapy with WM, shows advantages in inducing remission in CD. The current evidence suggests that TCM-WM treatment might be more efficient in terms of total effective rate, remission maintenance rate, CRP reduction, ESR reduction, clinical score reduction, and reduction of adverse events than treatment with WM alone. Because of the low quality of the included RCTs, high quality confirmatory evidence is needed to assess the clinical value of TCM in the treatment of CD.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Acupuncturing at the Sphenopalatine Ganglion Acupoint Alone for Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qinwei Fu ◽  
Lanzhi Zhang ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
Xinrong Li ◽  
Yepeng Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Allergic Rhinitis ◽  
Total Effective Rate ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Effective Rate ◽  
Disease Classification ◽  
Sphenopalatine Ganglion ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Vas Score

Aim(s). To evaluate the efficiency of acupuncturing at the sphenopalatine ganglion acupoint alone for treatment of allergic rhinitis. Design. A total of ten online databases were searched to find studies published up to Jan. 2018. Primary outcome measures include the TNSS, the RQLQ score, the VAS score, total effective rate, score for signs and symptoms, and the improvement of disease classification. Study quality of each included article was evaluated by the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool. A meta-analysis was conducted based on the Cochrane systematic review method by using RevMan 5.3 software. Interventions. Acupuncturing SGA alone was the only therapy in experimental group. Interventions in control groups includes sham acupuncture, acupuncturing other regular acupoints, and western medicine. Specific techniques included manual acupuncture and electroacupuncture only. Primary Outcomes. They include TNSS, RQLQ, VAS score, total effective rate, the improvement of disease classification. Results. Ten studies of eight articles involving 1004 participants were included. Result of meta-analysis showed that acupuncturing sphenopalatine ganglion acupoints alone was more effective than control groups. However, several adverse effects were reported. Conclusion. These findings show that acupuncturing the sphenopalatine ganglion acupoint alone has a potential role in alleviating nasal symptoms, improving quality of life for patients, and the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of allergic rhinitis, suggesting it as a considerable therapy for allergic rhinitis. However, more studies are needed to execute a subgroup analysis of various variables and to evaluate the publication bias of the study.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness and Safety of Moxibustion for Treating Knee Osteoarthritis: A PRISMA Compliant Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Yuan ◽  
Jun Xiong ◽  
Xue Wang ◽  
Jun Yang ◽  
Yunfeng Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Western Medicine ◽  
Adverse Reactions ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Negative Control ◽  
Lysholm Score ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Jadad Scale

Background. Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) seriously affects people’s life. Therefore, it has already become a worldwide health concern. Moxibustion has a significant clinical effect on KOA. This systematic review and meta-analysis is performed to renew previous studies and strictly evaluate the quality of RCT and thus test the effect and safety of moxibustion for KOA. Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of moxibustion treatment for alleviating pain and improving lower limb function for patients with KOA. Materials and Methods. CNKI (1979∼2019), CBM (1979∼2019), VIP (1989∼2019), WF (1998∼2019), PubMed (1966∼2019), Embase (1980∼2019), Cochrane Library, and Web of Science (1900∼2019) were all retrieved by a computer from their inception to June 02, 2019, replenished by manual retrieval of relevant bibliographies. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included if moxibustion was compared to western medicine or negative control (placebo moxibustion or no treatment or UC) for treating KOA. The primary outcomes were the total effect and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC scale). The secondary outcomes include VAS, Symptom score, Lysholm score, and Lequesne score. RCTs were collected, and the quality of evidence was evaluated by using the Jadad scale and Cochrane risk assessment tools. We used RevMan5.3.0 software for meta-analysis. Results. A total of 39 RCTs were included, including 3293 patients. In the assessment of the quality, the evidence differs from low to high based on the Cochrane Bias Evaluation Tools and Jadad scale. Fourteen trials were of high quality, ten were of moderate quality, and 15 were of low quality. Therefore, the quality of the included studies was moderate. In this study, there were 66.67% of the literature, and only 17.95% of the literature correctly reported randomized grouping and allocation of hidden information, respectively. In adverse reactions, only 13 trials included were reported in the study. The main adverse reactions of moxibustion are burns and blisters, whereas the western medicine group was in epigastric discomfort. As for the total effective rate, the meta-analysis of 27 RCTs showed a significant effect of moxibustion VS western medicine (RR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.16 to 1.25, I2 = 45%, P=0.007); as for the WOMAC scale, the subgroup meta-analysis of 13 trials showed that there was a statistically significant effect of moxibustion VS western medicine (MD = −11.08, 95% CI = −11.72 to −10.44, I2 = 98%, P<0.00001) and 2 trials on moxibustion VS negative control (MD = −8.38, 95% CI = −12.69 to −4.06, I2 = 0%, P=0.77); as for the VAS score, the meta-analysis of 6 trials showed that there was a significant effect of moxibustion VS western medicine (MD = −2.12, 95% CI = −2.30 to −1.93, I2 = 98%, P<0.00001); as for the symptom score, the meta-analysis of 7 trials showed that there was a significant effect of moxibustion VS western medicine (MD = −0.81, 95% CI = −1.24 to −0.37, I2 = 50%, P=0.06); as for the Lysholm score, the meta-analysis of 5 trials showed that there was a significant effect of moxibustion VS western medicine (MD = 7.61, 95% CI = 6.04 to 9.17, I2 = 95%, P<0.00001); and as for the Lequesne score, the meta-analysis of 3 trials showed that there was a significant effect of moxibustion VS western medicine (MD = 3.29, 95% CI = 2.93 to 3.65, I2 = 99%, P<0.00001). Conclusion. Moxibustion treatment for KOA is more effective than the positive control (western medicine) or negative control (placebo moxibustion or no treatment or UC), and there were fewer adverse reactions to moxibustion. Due to the universally low quality of the eligible trials, it still needs further large-scale and high-quality randomized controlled trials to verify the effectiveness and safety of moxibustion in the treatment of KOA.

The effectiveness of various interventions versus standard stripping in patients with varicose veins in terms of quality of life

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 439-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christos Argyriou ◽  
Christos Papasideris ◽  
George A Antoniou ◽  
Efstratios Georgakarakos ◽  
Nikolaos Papanas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Varicose Veins ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Life Assessment ◽  
Surgical Ligation ◽  
Treatment Techniques ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Q Statistic

Purpose Lower limb varicose veins have a significant effect upon the quality of life and a considerable socioeconomic impact despite their relatively benign nature. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of various therapeutic strategies among patients with varicose veins to surgical ligation and vein stripping on the basis of quality of life. Methods PubMed/Medline and Scopus databases were systemically searched from 1 January 2000 until 23 December 2015 for studies reporting outcome on the quality of life of different treatment techniques for varicose veins. We used Cohen’s d to make the outcomes of the reported scales comparable. Heterogeneity was calculated with the use of the Q statistic and the I2. Results A total of 1047 participants were randomized across all analyzed trials. The number of participants in a single trial ranged from 30 to 308. The majority of participants in any trial were C2 on the CEAP scores. Overall, the quality of evidence was low. For the meta-analysis performed at 12 months postintervention (seven studies, n = 1047 patients) and after random effects meta-analyses due to high heterogeneity, no differences are observed between intervention and surgical ligation and vein stripping. The pooled estimate is −0.001 and the 95% confidence interval is −0.069 to 0.067 with a p = 0.98. In the case of the 24 months, postintervention analysis (six studies, n = 840 patients) the inference is almost identical. The effect of various interventional modes of treatment compared to surgical ligation and vein stripping is negligible in terms of clinical outcomes and quality of life so that surgical ligation and vein stripping versus the other interventional procedures were equally effective approaches to treat great saphenous vein incompetence in terms of quality of life measurements. Conclusion The procedures were at least equally efficient in treating patients with varicose vein disease in terms of quality of life assessment tools at 12 and 24 months compared to surgical ligation and vein stripping.

scholarly journals Efficacy of Longdan Xiegan Decoction on the Treatment of Eczema: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Ziteng Hu ◽  
Lidong Gao ◽  
Chengxian Li ◽  
Alberto Cucco ◽  
Shang Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Efficacy ◽  
Total Effective Rate ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Effective Rate ◽  
Biomedical Literature ◽  
Cure Rate ◽  
Quality Of Evidence ◽  
Moderate Quality ◽  
Quality Evidence

Background. Longdan Xiegan decoction (LDXGD) has been widely used in the treatment of eczema. In recent years, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of LDXGD for the treatment of eczema have gradually increased. Most of the results show that LDXGD is effective in treating eczema. However, whether these conclusions are reliable or not requires meta-analysis. Objective. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of LDXGD in the treatment of eczema. Materials and Methods. Seven electronic databases, including PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature on Disc (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang, and Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP) were systematically searched from their inception until January 2021. Risk of bias was assessed using criteria from the Cochrane Collaboration and meta-analysis was conducted on the screened literature data using Review Manage (RevMan 5.3). Then, to assess the quality of evidence, the GRADE criteria was adopted. Results. 14 RCTs with 1080 participants were identified. Meta-analysis indicated that compared with western medicine (WM), the cure rate and the total effective rate of LDXGD in treating eczema were higher. Meanwhile, the recurrence rate and the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) after treatment were lower. The adverse reaction was reported in 5 out of 14 studies without significant statistical difference. According to GRADE criteria, the quality of evidence was low for all outcomes except for the cure rate (moderate-quality evidence) and the total effective rate (moderate-quality evidence). Conclusion. The clinical efficacy of LDXGD in the treatment of eczema was more effective compared with the one of conventional WM alone. However, due to the limitation of the quality of the included studies, additional studies are required to further confirm these results.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as an Adjunct Treatment on Stable COPD Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
K. H. Chan ◽  
Y. Y. S. Tsoi ◽  
M. McCall
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Effective Rate ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Adjunct Treatment ◽  
Copd Patients ◽  
Tcm Syndrome ◽  
Minute Walk

Background. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), including Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and acupuncture, exhibits beneficial effects on stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) such as improving lung function and reducing exacerbation. Previous research studies have examined either CHM or acupuncture alone, which are not the usual practice in TCM clinic setting. We conduct a systematic review for evaluating the clinical effectiveness and safety of TCM by combining CHM and acupuncture. Methods. Databases are searched from inception to November 2019. Randomized controlled trials examining either acupuncture or CHM on stable COPD are included. Primary outcomes include lung functions, exacerbations, and COPD assessment test. Secondary outcomes include quality of life, TCM syndrome score and effective rate, and 6-minute walk distance. Two independent reviewers extract data and assess the quality of evidence and generate meta-analysis and risk of bias by STATA. This protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. Results. 100 randomized controlled trials (8291 participants) were included to compare add-on Chinese medicine treatment with conventional treatment (CT). Combining CHM with CT improves FEV1 (MD: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.28), exacerbation rate (MD: −0.29, 95% CI: −0.61, 0.03), COPD assessment test (MD: −2.16, 95% CI: −3.44, -0.88), TCM syndrome score (MD: −3.96, 95% CI: −5.41, −2.51) and effective rate (RR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.80, 0.93), and 6-minute walk test (MD: 37.81, 95% CI: 20.90, 54.73). No serious adverse events were reported. Risk of bias: low to unclear. Conclusions. This review identifies sufficient moderate-to-low-quality evidence to suggest TCM as an adjunct treatment for stable COPD patients. Though heterogeneity was low among studies, the results were limited and the quality of evidence was low or very low based on small sample sizes and risk of bias. Future studies with larger sample sizes are warranted. The trial is registered with CRD42019161324.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document