HEALTH SERVICE RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS
Please note: All posters will be displayed in
Salons 10-12.
THURSDAY, 5:30-6:15 PM
Guo R, Pittler HM, Ernst E.
Herbal medicine for the treatment of chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease: A systematic review.
Peninsula Medical School, University of Exeter
and Plymouth ruoling.guo@pms.ac.uk
OBJECTIVES: To systematically assess the effectiveness
of herbal medicines for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD).
METHODS: Five electronic databases (AMED, MEDLINE,
EMBASE, CINAHL and COCHRANE LIBRARY) were searched, from their respective
inception to August 2005, without language restriction. Bibliographies
of located papers were checked for further relevant articles and manufacturers
of commercially available preparations were contacted for any relevant
published or unpublished studies. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs)
testing herbal medicine against any type of control, in patients with
COPD, assessing clinical outcomes, were included. The selection of studies,
data extraction and validation were performed independently by two reviewers.
In cases of uncertainty the third reviewer was consulted. Methodological
quality was evaluated using the Jadad score. Effect sizes of the main
outcome measures were calculated using standard software (RevMan 4.2).
RESULTS: Fourteen eligible RCTs, testing 14
different herbal remedies, were located. Six trials compared a herbal
medicine against placebo or no treatment. Significant inter-group differences
for pulmonary function, symptom score and/or responder rate were observed
in several herbal remedies, including Panax ginseng capsule and Salvia
miltiorrhiza injection. A single trial compared a herbal medicine (Hedera
helix leaf extract) with conventional treatment (ambroxol tablet) and
showed no significant difference between groups. Seven trials comparing
seven different herbal remedies with seven other herbal remedies reported
mixed results. The median methodological quality score was 2 of a possible
maximum of 5.
CONCLUSION: The effectiveness of herbal medicines
for treating COPD is not established beyond reasonable doubt. Currently,
the evidence from RCTs is scarce and methodologically weak.
Back