Meta-analysis of clinical trials of oral Chinese herbal prescriptions for treatment of vascular dementia based on mini mental state examination scores

SummaryIntroductionChinese Herbal Medicine has been used for centuries to treat diseases associated with the brain. The objective of this study was to assess the clinical efficacy and safety of oral Chinese herbal prescriptions (CHP) for patients with vascular dementia (VD) by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis.MethodsDatabases in English and Chinese were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including patients with VD comparing CHP to Hydergine or Piracetam and placebo. The main outcomes were the changes in the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for mini mental state examination (MMSE) or activities in daily living (ADL) score.ResultsTwenty-four trials with 2043 patients were identified and analyzed. In the meta-analysis, CHP treatment increased MMSE score (versus Piracetam WMD: 1.16, 95% CI: 0.56–1.76; versus placebo WMD: 3.39, 95% CI: 1.77–5.01, separately). CHP treatment reduced ADL score (versus Piracetam WMD: −5.51, 95% CI: −10.7, −0.32; versus placebo WMD: −7.40, 95% CI: −10.64, −4.16, separately). However, there was no statistically in MMSE score (WMD: 2.12; 95% CI: −0.026, 4.27) and ADL score (WMD: −1.95; 95% CI: −5.41, 1.51) between the CHP and Hydergine group.ConclusionsCHP treatment appears to have beneficial effects for patients with VD. However, high-quality studies are needed to provide clear evidence for the future use of CHP in treatment of VD.