Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), used alone or in combination with other treatments, can enhance efficacy and manage side effects in Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) treatment.
A comprehensive literature search was executed on multiple databases from 2003 to 2022 for this study on the efficacy and safety of common drugs used for HT. These databases included PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and many others. The study registered 60 trials and 4719 participants altogether examining 16 treatments such as vitamin D, selenium, LT-4, and various combinations of these with different treatments including traditional Chinese medicine.
The trials showed encouraging results, as traditional Chinese medicine appeared to have a significant effect in reducing TPOAb levels. Furthermore, some combinations with other therapies were displayed to enhance the effect. Among them, the impact of a regimen involving LT-4 and prednisone, despite not being statistically significant, ranked highest in potentially reducing TPOAb. Meanwhile, selenium plus LT-4 also didn't register as statistically significant, but it shared the top spot in terms of likelihood to decrease TgAb levels. Traditional Chinese medicine followed as the next most likely. Reports on side effects mainly featured the digestive and cardiovascular systems.
