Effects of kidney tonic herbs for primary osteoporosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Primary osteoporosis (POP) is one of the most common orthopedic conditions with a high risk of fractures. Effective treatment of POP is crucial for reducing disability rates and improving quality of life. Kidney tonic therapy is a classical traditional Chinese medicine approach for treating POP. This study aims to provide a comprehensive and reliable assessment of the clinical evidence of kidney tonic herbs (KTH) in treating POP patients. METHODS: An extensive literature search was conducted in 8 electronic databases from their inception through September 30, 2022, to evaluate the efficacy and safety of KTH for POP. We included 43 randomized controlled trials with 4349 participants. The qualified studies will be chosen and evaluated separately by 2 researchers. The primary outcome measure was bone mineral density (BMD) of lumbar. RevMan 5.3 and Stata 16 were used to carry out the meta-analyses. RESULTS: Our meta-analysis showed 29 studies with significantly increased lumbar BMD (mean difference [MD] = 0.06; 95% confidence interval [CI]; I(2) = 98%, P = .003), 18 studies with noticeably higher femoral neck BMD (MD = 0.08; 95% CI; I(2) = 98%, P = .0005), 6 studies with significantly increased femoral trochanter BMD (MD = 0.10; 95% CI; I(2) = 97%, P = .002), 4 studies with noticeably higher ward’s triangle BMD (MD = 0.13; 95% CI; I(2) = 100%, P = .04), and 3 studies with noticeably higher distal radius BMD (MD = 0.06; 95% CI; I(2) = 86%, P = .009). One study showed 12 falls and 8 fallers in the intervention group, 28 falls and 17 fallers in the control group at 36 months. 3 studies showed a significant difference in fracture incidence between the intervention group and the control group (95% CI: 0.15-0.81; I(2) = 0%, P = .01). Additionally, the meta-analysis demonstrated that KTH offered superior pain relief (8 trials, n = 980; 95% CI: −1.05 to −0.74; I(2) = 94%, P < .00001). Besides, KTH found no serious harmful effects. DISCUSSION: KTH may increase BMD and decrease the likelihood of fractures in POP patients. However, further research is necessary to investigate the effectiveness of KTH in reducing falls and fractures.