Efficacy and Safety of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine in the Treatment of Adult Brucellosis: a Meta-Analysis

doi:10.19803/j.1672-8629.20250761

Abstract

Abstract: Objective To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of Western medicine combined with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in the treatment of adult brucellosis. Methods Such databases as CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to the combined treatment of adult brucellosis with TCM and Western medicine that were published from inception to August 2025. Meta-analysis was conducted using Cochrane ROB 2.0 tool and RevMan 5.4.1 software. Results Eleven RCTs involving 1 561 patients were enrolled. Meta-analysis found that compared with Western medicine alone, the combined therapy significantly improved the clinical effective rate (RR=1.14, 95% CI[1.06, 1.22], P=0.000 3) across different courses of treatment (subgroup analysis: <6 weeks and ≥6 weeks). After combined treatment, serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) (SMD= -2.13, 95% CI [-2.87, -1.38], P<0.000 01), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (MD= -7.45, 95% CI [-13.81, -1.09], P=0.02), immunoglobulin G (IgG) (MD= -3.01, 95% CI [-3.33, -2.70], P<0.000 01), and immunoglobulin M (IgM) (MD= -0.31, 95% CI[-0.39, -0.24], P<0.000 01) in the experimental group were significantly lower than in the control group, with statistically significant differences. Safety analysis indicated no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (OR=0.66, 95% CI [0.39, 1.14], P=0.14). Conclusion The combination of Western medicine and TCM can significantly enhance the clinical effectiveness in adult patients with brucellosis and shows notable advantages in reducing inflammatory responses and modulating immune function.

Key words: Brucellosis, C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment, Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis

CLC Number:

LIANG Xiao, XU Xiaolong, BAI Yinglu, ZHANG Xuemin, LIU Qingquan. Efficacy and Safety of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine in the Treatment of Adult Brucellosis: a Meta-Analysis[J]. Chinese Journal of Pharmacovigilance, 2026, 23(4): 450-455.

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