Compound Chinese medicine for the intervention of sub-health: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of compound Chinese medicine for the intervention of sub-health. Methods:Cochrane systematic review method was applied,MEDLINE,EMBASE,CBM,CNKI and Cochrane Centre Controlled Trials Register were searched,and most of the randomized controlled trials(RCTs) of compound Chinese medicine for the intervention of sub-health were collected.Randomized controlled trials about compound Chinese medicine for the intervention of sub-health would be included irrespective of any language.Data were extracted by 2 reviewers.The quality of each trial was assessed according to the Cochrane Reviewers' Handbook 5.0.0.Statistical software(RevMan 5.0) provided by the Cochrane Collaboration was applied. Results:Eight RCTs involving 1487 patients were included in this systematic review.The methodological quality of the trials was low.Because of the significant clinical heterogeneity between included trials,we just did descriptive analysis without meta-analysis: 95% confidence interval of six studies is in right,the others is in left. Conclusion:Based on current evidence compound Chinese medicine had a significant effect on the improvement of sub-health symptoms and life quality with few adverse events.However,there was still lack of high quality evidence because of low methodological quality of clinical trials.