Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Review Article

The Role of Acupoint Application of Herbal Medicine for Asthma: Meta-Analysis of Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trials

Table 5

Summary of GRADE evidence: comparison of long-term efficacy between AAHM and placebo


Outcomes	Number of participants (number of Studies)	Quality of evidence (GRADE)	Absolute effect
Outcomes	Number of participants (number of Studies)	Quality of evidence (GRADE)	Control group (mean)	Comparison between groups（95% CI）

FEV₁ (L)	66 (1 RCT)	⊕⊕○○ Low 3,4	1.64 L	↑ 0.35 (0.03, 0.67)
FEV₁/FVC	92 (1 RCT)	⊕⊕○○ Low 2,3	79.86%	↑ 11.75 (4.04, 19.46)
FAE	144 (2 RCTs)	⊕○○○ Very Low 1,3,4	3.57 times	↓–1.52 (–2.17, –0.87)
EOS	92 (1 RCT)	⊕⊕○○ Low 2,3	0.76 × 0.09/L	No statistical significance

Abbreviations: AQLQ: Asthma quality of life questionnaire; FAE: Frequency of acute exacerbations; IgE: Immunoglobulin E; EOS: Eosinophil; FEV₁: Forced expiratory volume in 1s; FVC: forced vital capacity. 1. Considerable statistical heterogeneity; 2. The credible interval contains invalid values and wide interval limits the accuracy of the results; 3. Insufficient sample size limits the accuracy of the results; 4. Unclear sequence generation.