Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Chinese Herbal Medicine Auxiliary Therapy for Childhood Cough Variant Asthma: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of 20 Randomized Controlled Trials

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine auxiliary therapy (CHMAT) in treating childhood cough variant asthma (CVA). A systematic literature review was conducted on RCTs that compared CHMAT, i.e., Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) plus pharmacotherapy (PT), versus the same PT alone in the treatment of CVA. All included trials were assessed for quality and risk bias and analyzed according to the criteria of the Cochrane Handbook based on the Review Manager 5.3 software program. Twenty studies were identified and the CHMAT group had a positive effect on the total effective rate and a lower recurrence rate compared with the control group. CHMAT may have positive effects on CVA, leading to better improvement in disorders of cough and asthma and less adverse effects. However, the methodology and reporting quality of current studies are generally low. Further studies should include larger sample sizes with a strict design to confirm these findings.