Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal decoctions containing Astragalus membranaceus and Poria cocos (HF-D) in the treatment of nephrotic syndrome (NS).
Methods Databases including VIP, CNKI, WanFang, CBM, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane were searched for clinical randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on HF-D for NS published between 2010 and 2023. Literature quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, and data were analyzed with ReviewManager 5.3, Stata 12.0, and R software.
Results Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 15 RCTs involving 1,538 patients were included. Meta-analysis showed: Efficacy outcomes:
- The trial group had a significantly higher total response rate than the control group [RR=1.21, 95%CI: (1.13, 1.29), P<0.01]. The recurrence rate was significantly lower in the trial group [RR=0.38, 95%CI: (0.22, 0.66), P<0.01]. Laboratory indices: The trial group exhibited significantly lower levels of 24-hour urinary protein [MD=−1.20, 95%CI: (−1.43, −0.97), P<0.01], serum creatinine [MD=−7.13, 95%CI: (−13.15, −1.10), P<0.05], blood urea nitrogen [MD=−0.55, 95%CI: (−1.04, −0.06), P<0.05], total cholesterol [MD=−1.51, 95%CI: (−2.11, −0.91), *P*<0.01], and triglycerides [MD=−0.74, 95%CI: (−1.11, −0.36), P<0.01] compared to the control group. Serum albumin levels were significantly higher in the trial group [MD=5.65, 95%CI: (4.03, 7.27), P<0.01]. Safety outcomes:
The incidence of adverse events was significantly lower in the trial group [RR=0.41, 95%CI: (0.28, 0.62), P<0.01]. Publication bias analysis:
Egger’s test showed good symmetry in the funnel plot for 24-hour urinary protein (P>|t|=0.7), but trim-and-fill analysis for total response rate indicated potential unavoidable publication bias.
Conclusion HF-D demonstrates promising efficacy and safety in treating NS, though further large-sample, high-quality RCTs are needed for validation.