Abstract
BACKGROUND: To systematically evaluate the effect of the adjuvant treatment of Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with Erchen Decoction, exploring its potential in alleviating clinical symptoms and improving patients' quality of life. METHODS: Two independent evaluators conducted a computerized search of databases including CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, EMBase, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Library. The search aimed to collect randomized controlled trials on Erchen Decoction as an adjuvant treatment for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, spanning from the database inception to September 2024, and also traced references within the retrieved literature. Following trial selection and information extraction, they assessed the methodological quality. RevMan 5.3 software was utilized for Meta-analysis, while the Cochrane system evaluated the evidence quality. RESULTS: A total of 758 participants were enrolled. Baseline comparisons between the 2 groups showed no statistically significant differences (all P > .05). Post-treatment, the experimental group demonstrated significantly more favorable outcomes for all measured indicators compared to the control group, with all differences reaching statistical significance (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Erchen Decoction exhibits the potential to rapidly alleviate symptoms in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients and contribute to the reduction of multiple risk factors. Nevertheless, current evidence is limited by the scarcity of high-quality literature. Therefore, future research should prioritize large-sample, double-blind, randomized controlled trials to provide robust theoretical support for its efficacy.