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Alternative Medicine

3: Summary of 17 randomised and controlled clinical trials comparing Chinese herbal medicines with Western medicine for lower respiratory tract infections

 
Study reference
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
Design
Patients
C
A
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
Sample size
529
88
308
75
90
83
84
74
60
96
199
153
63
228
NR
NR
NR
Setting
IP
IP
IP
IP
NR
NR
IP
IP
NR
IP
IP
IP
IP
NR
IP
OP
NR
Patient allocation
RCT
RCT
CCT
RCT
RCT
CCT
RCT
CCT
RCT
RCT
RCT
RCT
RCT
CCT
RCT
RCT
RCT
Blinding
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
Single
Single
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
Double
Days of outcome observed
>3
NR
NR
NR
1-3
3-9
NR
NR
NR
2-7
NR
NR
7
NR
7
6
NR
Intervention
Experimental groups
HT
HT
HT; HI
HA
HT
HT
HI
HT+AB
HP
HI
HI
HI
HT
HP
HI
HP
HP+AB
Control groups
AB
AB
AB
AB
NR
AB +CM
NR
AB
AB
AB
AV; AB
AB
AB
AB
AB
CM
P+AB
Outcome measures
"Cured"/"effect"
-
*
-
-
+
+
*
*
-
*
+
*
+
+
-
+
+
Fever removed
-
+
+
-
*
*
+
*
*
+
+
+
+
-
+
*
*
Cough/wheeze relieved
-
+
+
-
*
*
*
*
*
+
*
+
+
+
+
+
*
Sore throat/tonsillitis relieved
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
+
*
*
*
Chest crackles resolved
-
*
-
-
*
*
+
+
*
+
+
+
+
-
+
+
*
Hospitalisation
-
+
*
-
*
*
+
-
*
+
+
+
*
*
+
*
*
Laboratory test (X-ray or white cell count)
*
+
+
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
+
*
*
*
+
Side-effects recorded
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Analysis
Baseline compared
Baseline presented
Outcome compared
t or P value reported
 

A=Adults; AB=Antibiotics; AV=Antiviral agents; C=Children; CCT=Controlled clinical trial; CM=Cough mixture; HA=Herbal aerosol; HI=Herbal injection; HP=Herbal patent medicine; HT=Herbal tea; IP=Inpatient; NR=Not reported; OP=Outpatient; RCT=Randomised controlled trial. +=CHMs significantly better than control. -=CHMs not significantly different from control. *=Outcome not reported. =No. =Yes.

©MJA 1998


<URL: http://www.mja.com.au/> © 1998 Medical Journal of Australia.
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