Efficacy and Safety of Chinese Medicine for COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Abstract
This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine for COVID-19 treatment with a focus on the benefits of symptomatic relief and time-related indexes. Seven electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chongqing VIP, Wanfang Data, and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry) were systematically searched from their beginning to April 2021. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing patients using Western therapy (WT) alone and those using additional Chinese medicine (WT + CM) were included. Primary outcomes included overall efficacy, lung recovery, and time to viral assay conversion. Secondary outcomes included time and rate of individual symptom recovery, laboratory indicators, and adverse events. Overall, 15 RCTs, including 1469 participants, were included in this review. WT + CM significantly improved overall efficacy (risk ratio, RR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.12 to 1.30; P< 0.01) and lung recovery (RR = 1.30; 95% CI:1.19 to 1.42; P< 0.01) and shortened the time to viral assay conversion (weighted mean differences, WMD =−1.38; 95% CI: −1.98 to −0.78; P< 0.01) and duration of chest distress (WMD = 2.41; 95% CI: −2.99 to −1.83; P< 0.01) compared to WT alone. There was no difference in safety between the WT + CM and WT groups (RR = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.64 to 1.39; P= 0.76). In conclusion, the synthesized evidence from 15 RCTs showed that additional Chinese medication may improve treatment efficacy, relieve symptoms, promote lung recovery, and reduce the inflammatory response against COVID-19, while not increasing the risk of adverse events compared with conventional Western medication alone.
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