Clinical therapeutic effects of gastrodin in combination with betahistine on vertigo: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Vertigo is a well-known presenting complaint common in the main care offices as well as departments. It is also regarded as a symptom of vestibular dysfunction and has been expressed as a feeling of motion, specifically rotational motion. As patients grow older, vertigo also becomes a commonly presenting complaint. The current study will carry out a widespread systematic review to estimate clinical therapeutic effects of gastrodin in combination with betahistine on vertigo. METHODS: We will systematically search different databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), and WanFang to collect the randomised controlled studies that evaluate the efficiency of gastrodin and betahistine in treating patients with vertigo from their inception to November 2020. However, only studies in English or Chinese will be included. Two authors will independently perform selection, data extraction, and assessment of risk of bias for the included papers. Accordingly, any disagreements between the independent authors will be addressed via discussion or by consulting a third author when needful. Additionally, we will use RevMan 5.3 software to perform the data synthesis. RESULTS: The efficiency of gastrodin and betahistine in treating patients with vertigo will be systematically evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: The current study aims to stipulate more consistent substantiation to explore whether gastrodin combined with betahistine is more effective for the treatment of vertigo. REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/HQTZA (https://osf.io/hqtza/)