Meta-Analysis on the Chinese Herbal Formula Xiaoer-Feike Granules as a Complementary Therapy for Children With Acute Lower Respiratory Infections
Abstract
Background: Over the past five years the Chinese herbal formula (CHF) medicine, Xiaoer-Feike granules (XFG), has become a widely used adjuvant therapy for acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI). Considering the rapid popularization and application of XFG, and the lack of systematic evidence evaluating its effectiveness and safety in treating ALRI, it is necessary to conduct a meta-analysis to determine its benefits for patients.
Methods: This study systematically identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of XFG treatments for ALRI through July 2019 using four English-databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Ovid, and Web of Science) and four Chinese-databases (Sino-med database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP database, and the WANFANG database). We then performed a quality assessment and data analysis with Review Manager 5.3.5 and Stata 15.1.
Results: Twenty-one RCTs involving 3425 patients were randomly divided into an XFG group and a conventional medicine (CM) group. The results showed that the clinical efficacy rate (CER) of the XFG group was significantly higher than that of the CM group (RR=1.17, 95% CI =1.13-1.22, PMD = -1.92; 95% CI =-2.33, -1.51, PMD = -1.68; 95% CI =-2.27, -1.10, PMD = -1.46; 95% CI =-1.92, -1.00, PMD = -2.43, 95% CI =-2.94, -1.93, PMD = -2.26, 95% CI =-3.03, -1.49, PRR =0.97, 95% CI= 0.61-1.54, P= 0.89).
Conclusions: The findings of this meta-analysis support the use of XFG in the treatment of ALRI. However, these results…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 3,425 participants or records.
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