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

K H Chan,M Mccall,Y Y S Tsoi,Mark Moss

doi:10.1155/2021/5550332

Abstract

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.

Highlights

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common, treatable, and preventable disease, which is characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation owing to airway and/or alveolar abnormalities caused by persistent exposure to noxious gases or molecules
Updated on 1 March 2020, a total of 7124 records are identified from databases and 0 records are found from other sources
Considering there are numerous formulae or combinations of herbs that might be beneficial to stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, it is difficult to use current evidence to guide the use of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in addition to conventional medicine

Summary

Introduction

COPD is an important cause of chronic morbidity and mortality in the world, which ranks the fourth in the leading cause of death and is projected to be the third by 2020 [1, 2]. It is a common, preventable, and treatable disease but poses an economic burden on the society. 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.

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion