Liuwei Dihuang Decoction for primary osteoporosis: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Primary osteoporosis (POP) is one kind of global disease, as a serious threat to human health. Liuwei Dihuang Decoction (LWDHD) has been recommended to treat osteoporosis alone or combined with medicine in China; however, its efficacy is unclear. The object of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of LWDHD in the management of POP. METHODS: We will search The Cochrane Library, Medline, PubMed, Elsevier, Springer, Web of Science, Ovid, WHO ICTRP, CNKI, CBM, VIP, and WanFang Database from their inception to February 2019. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of LWDHD for the treatment of POP will be included. The language is limited to Chinese and English. The fracture incidence will be accepted as the primary outcomes. Data synthesis, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis will be performed by using RevMan V.5.3.5 software. RESULTS: A high-quality synthesis of current evidence for the treatment of POP with LWDHD will be provided from efficacy and safety. CONCLUSION: This systematic review will generate evidence for judging whether LWDHD is an effective and safe intervention for POP or not. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD 4201926066.