Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Treating Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Due to the limited treatment options in antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) in children, more effective treatments should be explored. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history in China, which has produced a pretty effect in clinical practice. Many randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have explored the effect of traditional Chinese medicine on treating AAD in children. However, there has been no systematic review or meta-analysis on the impact of TCM on AAD in children. The aim of this study was to systematically review RCTs on the effect of TCM in children with AAD. METHODS: RCTs in the past ten years on TCM for AAD in children were included. We searched Electronic databases as much as possible. This paper was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022301034). RESULTS: 26 studies were included in this systematic review. 25 studies reported the effects of TCM interventions on the total effective rate (RR = 1.20, CI 1.16 to 1.24; p < 0.001). 7 studies reported the effects of TCM interventions on the time to change the shape of feces (MD = −1.37, CI −1.67 to −1.07; p < 0.001). 17 studies reported the effects of TCM interventions (MD = −1.43, CI −1.71 to −1.15; p < 0.001). The pooled results showed that there were no significant differences between the two groups in CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4 : CD8, time for bowel sounds to return to normal, hs-CRP, and IgM. There was a significant difference between the two groups in frequency of diarrhea on the third day after TCM intervention, vomiting improvement time, diamine oxidase, IL-8, TNF, IgA, IgG, and average hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: TCM interventions combined with conventional therapy can improve the therapeutic effect of AAD in children. However, future studies are still needed for the low methodological quality.