A systematic review of puerarin for acute ischaemic stroke

Objective: To systematically evaluate efficacy and safety of puerarin for treating acute ischaemic stroke.Methods: Randomized controlled trails(RCTs) of puerarin for acute ischaemic stroke treatment were identified.Qualification studies for those RCTs were conducted.The qualification assessment was performed by using Jadad scale.Heterogeneity test,Meta-analysis,funnel plot analysis and sensitivity analysis were used to analyze data.Results: Seven RCTs were selected.All RCTs were low methodological quality according to Jadad score index.Meta-analysis indicated that RR of overall effective rate was 1.23[99%CI(1.08,1.39)],weighted mean difference of ability of daily life was 9.56[99%CI(8.78,10.34)].Conclusion: This systematic review showed that puerarin was effective for treating acute ischaemic stroke.However,the evidence was not strong due to the general low methodological quality of RCTs.To determinately evaluate efficacy and safety of puerarin for acute ischaemic stroke treatment,more rationally designed and strictly executed RCTs with large amount of cases are necessary.