An umbrella review of Lianhua Qingwen combined with Western medicine for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019

Abstract

Objective:Lianhua Qingwen combined with Western medicine (LHQW+WM) has been proposed as a viable treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Interestingly, umbrella reviews of systematic reviews (SRs), which provide the most comprehensive evidence, are the best evidence in evidence-based medicine. Therefore, an umbrella review of SRs that summarizes and evaluates the efficacy of LHQW+WM for COVID-19 is urgently required. Methods: Overall, 6 databases were used to conduct a comprehensive literature search from inception to January 22, 2022. The corrected covered area (CCA) was used to analyze the overlapping between SRs. Meta-analysis was conducted when that of the included SRs was inappropriate. A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR-2) was also employed to assess the quality of the included SRs. Results:In total, 12 SRs were identified, which included 12 unique primary studies. The included SRs ranged in quality from moderate to critically low and had an extremely high CCA (36.4%). Compared to conventional treatment, LHQW+WM showed efficacy concerning fatigue recovery[risk ratio (RR) = 1.69, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-2.73, n = 2, I² = 0%], cough recovery (RR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.09-2.51, n = 3, I² = 39.1%), and overall effective rates (RR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.07-1.28, n = 3, I² = 17.5%). Conclusion: LHQW+WM may improve the clinical symptoms of patients with COVID-19; however, the results should be interpreted cautiously because of the rigorous processes in the included SRs.

Keywords

COVID-19 / Lianhua Qingwen / Meta-analysis / Umbrella review

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding

None.

Author Contribution

Kelu Yang, Jiaoyan zhang, and Yingying Kang conceived and designed the manuscript idea. Kelu Yang and Jiaoyan zhang drafted and revised the manuscript. Kelu Yang and Jiaoyan zhang analyzed the data and interpreted the results of the analysis. Liang Zhao and Luying Cheng filtered the articles, the performed data extraction. Yuanyuan Li and Yuchen Kang performed the quality assessment. Xiangyu Zhang designed the search strategy. Yingying Kang provided a critical version of the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Ethical approval of studies and informed consent

Not applicable.

Acknowledgments

None.

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