Evidence mapPaperPMID 25636788Full record

SynthesisBMJ open2015

Chinese herbal medicine for resistant hypertension: a systematic review.

Xingjiang Xiong, Xiaoke Li, Yuqing Zhang, Jie Wang

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMJ open, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 16% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Article
  7. Traditional Chinese Medicine for Essential Hypertension: A Clinical Evidence Map.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2020
    Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Xingjiang XiongDepartment of Cardiology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Xiaoke LiBio-organic and Natural Products Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, California, USA.
Yuqing ZhangDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Jie WangDepartment of Cardiology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College · CNGuang’anmen Hospital · CNMcLean Hospital · USMcMaster University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThis study aimed to summarise the current evidence from randomised control trials (RCTs) concerning treatment of patients with resistant hypertension with Chinese herbal medicine (CHM).

designSeven databases, including the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, VIP, CBM and Wanfang, were systematically searched from their inception to March 2014 for RCTs investigating treatment of resistant hypertension in which CHM was used either as a monotherapy or in combination with conventional medicine versus placebo, no intervention or conventional medicine.

resultsFive trials containing 446 hypertensive patients were identified. The methodological quality of most trials was evaluated as generally low. All included trials compared CHM plus antihypertensive drugs with antihypertensive drugs alone for resistant hypertension. Formulations of CHM included tablet, decoction and injection. It was found that, compared with antihypertensive drugs alone, CHM (tablet) plus antihypertensive drugs resulted in clinically, but not statistically, significant reductions in systolic blood pressure (SBP; weighted mean difference (WMD)=-10.32 mm Hg; 95% CI -21.10 to 0.46; p=0.06) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP; WMD=-3.30 mm Hg; 95% CI -7.66 to 1.06; p=0.14). CHM (decoction) plus antihypertensive drugs also produced a clinically meaningful, but not statistically significant, reduction in SBP (WMD=-12.56 mm Hg; 95% CI -26.83 to 1.71; p=0.08), and did significantly decrease DBP (WMD=-7.89 mm Hg; 95% CI -11.74 to -4.04; p<0.0001). There were no significant differences in SBP (WMD=-3.50 mm Hg; 95% CI -8.95 to 1.95; p=0.21) and DBP (WMD=1.00 mm Hg; 95% CI -1.39 to 3.39; p=0.41) between CHM (injection) plus the antihypertensive drugs group and antihypertensive drugs alone. The safety of CHM remained uncertain.

conclusionsNo definite conclusions about the effectiveness and safety of CHM for resistant hypertension could be drawn. More rigorously designed trials are warranted.

Indexed as

Antihypertensive AgentsBlood PressureDrugs, Chinese HerbalHumansHypertensionTreatment OutcomeAntihypertensive AgentsDrugs, Chinese HerbalChinese herbal medicineresistant hypertensionsystematic review

Identifiers

PMID25636788
PMCPMC4316421
OpenAlexW2145720324

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.