Effectiveness and Safety of Combination Therapy with Herbal Medicine and Growth Hormone Compared to Growth Hormone Monotherapy for Short Stature Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Herbal medicines (HM) and growth hormones (GH) are widely used to treat short stature (SS) in children. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of combination therapy with HM and GH (CHG) compared to those of GH monotherapy (GHM) in children with SS.

Methods

We searched 17 electronic databases from inception to 1 April 2021. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. Two authors independently performed the selection and quality assessment of the included studies using Cochrane Handbook criteria. Relative risk (RR) was used to measure dichotomous outcomes with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Mean difference (MD) or standard MD (SMD) was used to measure continuous outcomes with a 95% CI.

Results

Seven RCTs

SUBMITTER: Shim S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9381207 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature