Clinical Efficacy of Chinese Medicine in Treating Adult Henoch–Schönlein Purpura: A Meta‐Analysis

Introduction This meta‐analysis evaluates the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine, alone or in combination with Western medicine, for the treatment of adult Henoch–Schönlein purpura. Methods We searched clinical randomized controlled trials on the treatment of adult Henoch–Schönlein purpura with traditional Chinese medicine from the Chinese Journal Literature Database (CNKI), Wanfang Database, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, the Journal of Pharmacopuncture, and the National Library of China. After removing duplicate literature and reviewing titles, we selected the final studies based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria. These studies were assessed for bias using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool, and statistical analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3.0 software. The PRISMA guidelines were followed when conducting the meta‐analysis. Results Eighteen studies were included, with a combined sample size of 1632 cases, including 811 in the experimental group and 821 in the control group. The results indicated that traditional Chinese medicine, whether used alone or in combination with Western medicine, was more effective than Western medicine alone in terms of overall effectiveness and improvement in skin purpura, digestive tract, and joint symptoms. We found that the total clinical effective rate of patients in the experimental group was higher than that of the control group (OR = 6.04, 95% CI [4.01, 9.10], p < 0.001). Meta‐analysis indicates that the difference between the control and experimental groups in improving skin purpura symptoms is statistically significant (SMD = −1.09, 95% CI [−1.22, −0.96], p < 0.001). We found that a more significant improvement occurred in the experimental group than in the control group (SMD = −0.95, 95% CI [−1.08, −0.82], p < 0.001). People in the experimental group showed a greater decrease in joint symptoms than those in the control group (SMD = −0.95, 95% CI [−1.08, −0.82], p < 0.001). Conclusion Traditional Chinese medicine, either alone or combined with Western medicine, is more effective than Western medicine alone in treating Henoch–Schönlein purpura. It also shows superior efficacy in improving skin purpura, digestive tract, and joint symptoms.