Maxingshigan decoction for treating COVID-19: A protocol for systematic review and meta analysis

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a rapidly spreading disease that has been in a public health emergency of international concern since its outbreak in 2020. Due to the complex pathogenesis and susceptibility of COVID-19, many commonly used drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 have not shown excellent clinical effects. Traditional Chinese medicine has a long clinical history of preventing and treating this respiratory infectious disease. Maxingshigan Decoction (MXSG) is widely used in China to treat COVID-19. However, there is no comprehensive and systematic evidence on the effectiveness and safety of Maxingshigan Decoction. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, Clinical Trials, the Cochrane Library, Sino Med, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure up to September 2020. This study only screens clinical randomized controlled trials on MXSG for COVID-19 to evaluate its efficacy and safety. Data were extracted by 1 investigator and checked by an independent investigator. Review Manager 5.3 software was used for the data analysis. The dichotomous data is represented by relative risk, and the continuous is expressed by mean difference or standard mean difference, eventually the data is synthesized using a fixed effect model or a random effect model depending on whether or not heterogeneity exists. RESULTS: The time from a positive diagnosis to a negative result of 2 consecutive nucleic acid tests (not on the same day), cure rate. The results of our research will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: The purpose of this systematic review is to provide new evidence for the effectiveness and safety of Maxingshigan decoction in the treatment of COVID-19. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020211962.