Table 1.
Summary of included studies.
| Author (Year) [Ref] | Sample Size (M/F) Disease Stages * Age (Years) Disease Course (Days) |
Intervention (Regimen) | Control (Regimen) | Study Outcomes | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun (2020) [19] | 57 (28/29) Mild, moderate A: 45.4; B: 42.0 A: 11.7; B: 13.0 |
(A) HM (Lianhua Qingke granules, 1 packet for 3 times daily for 14 days, n = 32), plus B | (B) WM (Lopinavir/ Ritonavir + Alpha interferon injection for 2 times daily, n = 25) | (1) Symptom disappearance rate (2) Improvement of abnormalities in chest CT (3) Oxygenation index |
(1) Cough, RR 1.42 (1.03, 1.94), p < 0.05; sputum production, RR 1.66 (1.04, 2.64), p < 0.05; fever, RR 1.00 (0.68, 1.46), NS; fatigue, RR 1.25 (0.90, 1.75), NS; dry throat, RR 1.31 [0.62, 2.80], NS; sore throat, RR 1.00 (0.62, 1.60), NS. (2) RR 1.35 (1.05, 1.73), p < 0.05. (3) MD 73.73 (52.75, 94.71), p < 0.05. |
| Xiao (2020) [20] | 200 (130/70) Mild, moderate A:60.9; B: 60.2 A: 5.5; B:6.4 |
(A) HM (Shufeng Jiedu capsule, 4 capsules for 3 times daily for 2 weeks, n = 100), plus B | (B) WM (Arbidol Hydrochloride tablets, 200mg for 3 times daily, n = 100) | (1) Effective rate (2) Symptom disappearance time (day) (3) Changes in WBC cell counts and LYM% (4) Absorption of lesions >50% based on chest CT scans |
(1) RR 1.17 (1.03, 1.34) p < 0.05. (2) Fever, MD −0.83 (−1.22, −0.44), p < 0.05; cough, MD 0.28 (−0.40, 0.96), NS; fatigue, MD −0.33 (−0.78, 0.12), NS; vertigo, MD 0.18 (−0.31, 0.67), NS; nasal congestion, MD −0.17 (−0.61, 0.27), NS; rhinorrhea, MD 0.08 (−0.33, 0.49), NS. (3) WBC cell counts, MD 1.15 (0.64, 1.66), p < 0.05; LYM%, MD 2.42 (1.08, 3.76), p < 0.05. (4) RR 1.21 (1.05, 1.40), p < 0.05. |
| Duan (2020) [21] | 123 (62/61) Mild A: 52.0; B: 50.3 A: 2.7; B: 2.5 |
(A) HM (Jinhua Qinggan granules, 2 packets for 3 times daily for 5 days, n = 82), plus B | (B) WM (Lopinavir/Ritonavir, 200 mg + Chloroquine Phosphate tablets, 500 mg + Alpha interferon and ribavirin injection for 2 times daily + Arbidol Hydrochloride tablets, 500 mg for 3 times daily, n = 41) | (1) Symptoms disappearance rate (2) Total TCM syndrome score (3) Hamilton Anxiety Scale |
(1) Fever, RR 1.51 (1.07, 2.14), p < 0.05; chill, RR 0.99 (0.74, 1.34), NS; myalgia, RR 1.17 (0.73, 1.87), NS; heavy head and limbs, RR 0.84 (0.60, 1.19), NS; fatigue, RR 1.44 (0.98, 2.11), p < 0.05; cough, RR 1.54 (0.97, 2.45), p < 0.05; sputum production, RR 1.85 (1.01, 3.38), p < 0.05; sore throat, RR 1.30 (0.58, 2.87), NS; itchy throat, RR 1.14 (0.60, 2.17), NS; dry throat, RR 0.87 (0.54, 1.42), NS; nasal congestion or rhinorrhea, RR 1.31 (0.57, 3.05), NS; nausea or vomiting, RR 1.17 (0.69, 1.99), NS; diarrhea, RR 0.06 (0.00, 1.03), p < 0.05. (2) MD 1.39 (−0.21, 2.99), p < 0.05. (3) MD 0.34 (−1.14, 1.82), p < 0.01. |
| Fu (2020a) [22] | 73 (38/35) Moderate A: 45.3; B: 44.7 A: 7.6; B: 8.5 |
(A) HM (Toujie Quwen granules, 1 packet per time for 2 times daily for 15 days, n = 37), plus B | (B) WM (Arbidol Hydrochloride tablets, 200 mg + Ambroxol Hydrochloride tablets, 30 mg for 3 times daily, n = 36) | (1) Effective rate (2) TCM syndrome score (3) Changes in WBC cell counts, LYM cell counts, LYM% and CRP level (4) Hospital discharge rate |
(1) RR 1.28 (1.01, 1.64), p < 0.05. (2) Fever, MD −0.50 (−0.72, −0.28), p < 0.05; Cough, MD −1.03 (−1.20, −0.86), p < 0.05; Dry throat and sore throat, MD −0.64 (−0.90, −0.38), p < 0.05; Chest tightness and shortness of breath, MD −0.18 (−0.37, 0.01), p < 0.05; Fatigue, MD −1.14 (−1.27, −1.01), p < 0.05. (3) WBC cell counts, MD 0.26 (0.09, 0.43), NS; LYM cell counts, MD 0.45 (0.39, 0.51), p < 0.05; LYM%, MD 3.18 (2.17, 4.19), NS; CRP level, MD −8.11 (−10.41, −5.81), p < 0.05. (4) RR 1.42 (0.76, 2.62), p < 0.05. |
| Fu (2020b) [23] | 65 (36/29) Mild, moderate A: 43.3; B: 43.7 A: 7.6; B: 8.5 |
(A) HM (Toujie Quwen granules, 1 packet per time for 2 times daily for 10 days, n = 32), plus B | (B) WM (Arbidol Hydrochloride Tablets, 200 mg + Moxifloxacin, 400 mg + Ambroxol Hydrochloride Tablets, 30 mg for 3 times daily, n = 33) | (1) Effective rate (2) TCM syndrome score (3) Changes in WBC cell counts, LYM cell counts, LYM% and NEU% (4) Changes in level of CRP, PCT, D-Dimer (5) Improvement of abnormalities in chest CT |
(1) RR 1.35 (1.06, 1.71), p < 0.05. (2) Fever, MD −0.80 (−0.95, −0.65), p < 0.05; cough, MD −1.35 (−1.52, −1.18), p < 0.05; sputum production, MD −0.46 (−0.71, −0.21), p < 0.05; dry throat and sore throat, MD −0.48 (−0.66, −0.30), p < 0.05; fatigue, MD −0.34 (−0.45, −0.23), p < 0.05. (3) WBC cell counts, MD 0.36 (0.20, 0.52), p < 0.05; LYM cell counts, MD 0.26 (0.20, 0.32), p < 0.05; LYM%, MD 5.18 (4.11, 6.25), p < 0.05; NEU%, MD −4.58 (−5.81, −3.35), p < 0.05. (4) CRP level, MD −9.11 (−11.52, −6.70), p < 0.05; PCT level, MD −0.02 (−0.02, −0.01), p < 0.05; D-Dimer level, MD −42.50 (−84.55, −0.45), p < 0.05. (5) RR 1.30 (0.97, 1.74), NS. |
| Yu (2020) [24] | 295 (171/124) Mild, moderate A: 48.2; B: 47.2 n.r. |
(A) HM (Lianhua Qingwen granules, 1 packet per time for 2 times daily for 7 days, n = 147), plus B | (B) WM (Arbidol Hydrochloride Tablets, 200 mg + Ambroxol Hydrochloride Tablets, 30 mg for 3 times daily + Moxifloxacin tablets, 400 mg for 1 time daily, 30 mg for 3 times daily, n = 148) | (1) Effective rate (2) TCM syndrome score (3) Changes in WBC cell counts, LYM cell counts, CRP level and PCT level (4) Improvement of abnormalities in chest CT |
(1) RR 1.25 (1.08, 1.44), p < 0.05. (2) Fever, MD −0.56 (−0.62, −0.50), p < 0.05; fatigue, MD −0.34 (−0.40, −0.28), p < 0.05; cough, MD −1.17 (−1.28, −1.06), p < 0.05; dry throat and sore throat, MD −1.34 (−1.44, −1.24), p < 0.05; chest tightness, MD −0.43 (−0.57, −0.29), p < 0.05. (3) WBC cell counts, MD 0.41 (0.33, 0.49), p < 0.05; LYM cell counts, MD 0.09 (0.05, 0.13), p < 0.05; CRP level, MD −2.00 (−3.00, −1.00), p < 0.05; PCT level, MD −0.01 (−0.02, −0.01), p < 0.05. (4) RR 1.10 (0.94, 1.30), NS. |
| Ye (2020) [25] | 42 (7/35) Severe A: 65.0; B: 59.0 A: 9.0; B: 9.5 |
(A) HM († Herbal decoction, 2 times daily for 7 days, n = 28), plus B | (B) WM (Lopinavir/ Ritonavir, 200mg for 2 times daily, n = 14) | (1) Changes in the disease severity (2) Overall survival through last day of treatment (3) Proportion of patients without improvement (4) Change in serum PCT level (5) Prevalence of antibiotic use during treatment |
(1) OR 0.589 (0.148, 2.352), NS. (2) OR 2.08 (0.12, 35.89), NS. (3) OR 0.44 (0.08, 2.53), NS. (4) MD 0.01 (0.00, 0.01), p < 0.05. (5) OR 1.84 (0.41, 8.33), NS. |
CRP, C-reactive protein (mg/L); HM, herbal medicine; LYM, lymphocyte (109 cells/L); n.r., not reported; PCT, procalcitonin (ng/L); TCM, traditional Chinese medicine; WBC, white blood cells (109 cells/L); WM, Western medicine; NEU%: neutrophil percentage; * Diagnosis criteria was Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of 2019‒nCoVby the National Health Commission (Trial Version 5 or 6); † Compositions of the herbal decoction are provided in the Supplementary Table S1.