Kushenin combined with entecavir for chronic hepatitis B: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: A recent study has reported that there are >240 million patients infected with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) worldwide. Once patients with CHB start antiviral treatment, they need to take antiviral drugs for a long period, which may lead to a series of side effects, and the resistance to the antiviral drugs may also emerge. We aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of kushenin (KS) combined with entecavir (ETV) for chronic hepatitis B. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of KS combined with ETV for CHB will be identified from PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chongqing VIP, Wangfang Data. Literature screening and data extraction will be independently performed by 2 researchers. The cochrane collaboration tool for assessing risk of bias will be applied to evaluate the risk of bias of the RCTs included. The extracted data will be analyzed by Rev-man 5.3.0 software. RESULTS: A high-quality synthesis of current evidence on the efficacy and safety of KS combined with ETV for CHB will be provided in this study. CONCLUSION: This systematic review will aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of KS combined with ETV for CHB. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019124790.