Combining Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) with Western Medicine (WM) could lead to an enhanced clinical outcome in treating hypothyroidism as compared to using WM alone.
The methodology of this study employed the Cochrane risk bias assessment tool for assessing the quality of the selected studies and analyzed the results using Review Manager 5.3 software. The strength of the evidence was evaluated using GRADE. A total of 18 randomized controlled trials involving a sample of 1247 patients was included in the study. The primary measures assessed the overall efficacy, effectiveness in treating specific symptoms, and the Traditional Chinese Medicine symptom score. Secondary measures included the levels of FT3, FT4, and TSH, the size of the thyroid gland, and any adverse events experienced.
In the discussion of results, the meta-analysis revealed that the employment of CHM in conjunction with WM has a better curative effect, reducing clinical symptoms more effectively than WM alone. The overall results taken from numerous parameters including comprehensive efficacy, syndrome efficacy, TCM symptom score, FT3, FT4, TSH, and thyroid volume substantiated this finding. Regarding the incidence of adverse events, no significant difference was observed between the groups. Therefore, the use of CHM can potentially lead to improved clinical efficacy in treating hypothyroidism.
