Chinese herbal medicine Yanghe decoction for ankylosing spondylitis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Chinese herbal medicine is a commonly used traditional treatment for ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Among them, Yanghe decoction (YHD) has an obvious effect in relieving the symptoms of AS, but its efficacy is still controversial. The purpose of this study is to systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of YHD in the treatment of AS patients. METHODS: From the establishment to September 2020, we will search a total of 7 electronic databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, VIP, WanFang, and the Chinese SinoMed Database. Two independent reviewers will search the database for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs), extract data, and evaluate the quality of the included RCTs. Data analysis will be processed by RevMan V.5.4 software. RESULTS: The results of this systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: This study will provide evidence for the effectiveness of YHD in treating patients with AS.