Comparative efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese patent medicine for NAFLD in childhood or adolescence: A protocol for a Bayesian network meta analysis.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a common reason for chronic liver disease in children and adults. The increasing incidence of the disease has become one of the most critical public health problems in the 21st century, closely related to genetic and environmental factors. So far, apart from changing lifestyle and diet, modern medicine still lacks effective treatment measures. Chinese patent medicine has the advantages of apparent curative effect, overall regulation and fewer side effects. However, there is a lack of research on the simultaneous comparison of various Chinese patent medicines. Therefore, we used a reticular meta-analysis to indirectly compare the efficacy and safety of different oral Chinese patent medicines through standard reference. METHOD: We will conduct a comprehensive and systematic search of Chinese and English databases from the beginning to December 2020. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of oral Chinese patent medicine for NAFLD in children will be searched. The 2 researchers then independently filter the retrieved literature, extract the data according to the data extraction table and assess the risk of bias. We will perform a pair of meta-analyses and a Bayesian network meta-analysis. STATA and Win BUGS software will be used for data analysis. RESULTS: This study will thoroughly compare and analyze the differences in the efficacy of all kinds of TCPM in NAFLD treatment in childhood or adolescence. CONCLUSION: This study will provide reference and evidence support for clinical drug selection optimization. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION This study does not require ethical approval. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER 2020120068.