Objective To assess the effectiveness of xuezhikang for treating diabetic kidney disease.
Methods We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Issue 3, 2008), MEDLINE (1980 to September 2008), EMbase (1980 to September 2008), CBMdisc (1990 to September 2008), and CNKI (1994 to September 2008). We also hand searched relevant journals and conference proceedings. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which xuezhikang was used to treat diabetic kidney disease were collected. Then we screened the retrieved studies according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, evaluated the quality of included studies, and performed metaanalyses by using The Cochrane Collaboration’s RevMan 4.2 software.
Results Nine RCTs were included. Meta-analyses showed that xuezhikang was superior to routine treatment in decreasing 24-hour urinary protein (WMD –0.87, 95%CI –1.34 to –0.41), microalbuminuria (WMD –115.39, 95%CI –127.63 to –103.15), and urinary albumin excretion rate (WMD – 65.46, 95%CI –68.87 to –62.12); but xuezhikang had similar effects in reducing serum creatinine compared with routine treatment (WMD –5.42, 95%CI –11.06 to 0.21). Moreover, xuezhikang was more effective in regulating blood lipids, including TC (WMD –1.71, 95%CI –2.39 to –1.03), TG (WMD –0.96, 95%CI –1.46 to –0.46), LDL-C (WMD –1.01, 95%CI –1.64 to –0.38), and HDL-C (WMD 0.22, 95%CI 0.09 to 0.36). Xuezhikang was not superior to routine treatment in improving fasting blood sugar (WMD -0.01, 95%CI -0.49 to 0.47), but was more effective in improving 2 h-BS (WMD –1.10, 95%CI –1.35 to –0.85) and HbA1c (WMD –0.41, 95%CI –0.56 to –0.27). No significant adverse effects or allergic reactions were reported.
Conclusions The evidence currently available shows that xuezhikang may decrease 24-hour urinary protein, microalbuminuria, serum creatinine, regulate blood lipids, and adjust blood glucose. Due to a high risk of selection bias and detection bias in the included studies, the evidence is insufficient to determine the effect of xuezhikang. Further large-scale trials are required to define the role of xuezhikang in the treatment of diabetic kidney disease.
Citation: WANG Feng,WU Hongmei. Xuezhikang for Diabetic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 2009, 09(1): 63-70. doi: 10.7507/1672-2531.20090014 Copy