Title: Adjuvant Therapy Efficacy of Herbal Medicine Zeo Lyung Tang (Zhu Ling Decoction) for Primary Glomerulonephritis: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Abstract: Objectives The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the clinical therapeutic effects and safety of the Zeo lyung tang (ZLT) on primary glomerulonephritis (PGN). Methods The MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, CENTRAL, CNKI, RISS, NDSL, KISS, and OASIS databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing the effects of ZLT on PGN. The Cochrane collaboration bias risk assessment scale was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies. RevMan 5.3 software was used for data analysis. Results Ten RCTs involving 781 patients were included in the review. Compared with conventional Western medicine (WM) therapy alone, a combination treatment of ZLT and WM improved the total effective rate (RR=1.24; 95%CI [1.16, 1.33]; p<0.00001), reduce the blood urea nitrogen (BUN; MD=-1.05; 95%CI [-1.32, -0.78]; p<0.00001) and the 24-hour urinary protein (MD=-0.38; 95%CI [-0.46, -0.29]; p<0.00001). Conclusions The combination of ZLT with WM has therapeutic effects on PGN, and it has advantages over WM treatment alone in reducing BUN and 24-hour urinary protein. However, due to the low quality of the included studies and the small sample sizes, additional research is needed in this area. Keywords: primary glomerulonephritis, Zeo lyung tang, Zhuling decoction, Polyporus decoction, systematic review, meta-analysis