Clinical effects of the combination of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicines on coronavirus disease 2019: a systematic review and Meta-analysi.

Yan, Li-Zhao; Mao, Fu-Wei; Cao, Ying-Hao; Xie, Mao; Shah, Adil; Ahmed, Mushtaq; Sher, Naila; Mushtaq, Nadia; Khan, Rahmat-Ali

OBJECTIVE To explore the clinical efficacy of the combination of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicines for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS Studies were identified in six popular medical databases. RESULTS Thirteen studies were included. The results showed that combined treatment with Traditional Chinese and Western Medicines can reduce the probability of progression from mild to severe disease [RR = 0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.18, 0.65)] (P = 0.001) and improve the clinical cure rate [RR = 0.17, 95% CI (0.05, 0.28)] (P = 0.004). The use of an integrated treatment strategy shortened the time to the remission of fever [WMD = －1.27, 95% CI (－1.67, －0.92)](P < 0.001) and improved the incidences of the disappearance of fever and fatigue [RR = 1.25, 95% CI (1.06, 1.47) (P = 0.007); RR = 1.49, 95% CI (1.13, 1.97) (P = 0.004)]. CONCLUSION A combined treatment strategy is effective for COVID-19.