Systematic Evaluation and Meta-analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Diabetic Nephropathy

Based on the study of the etiology and pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, this paper proposes four TCM treatment paths. And based on 8 outcome indexes, using Meta-analysis, through controlled experiments, we systematically evaluated the improvement of early diabetic nephropathy reflected by TCM, explored its medication law, and provided theoretical basis for the early treatment of diabetic nephropathy in the future. In the analysis of glycated hemoglobin impact results, the heterogeneity between studies I²=98.56%, meanwhile, MD=−0.69, 95%CI [−1.29, −0.29], Z=3.25, P=0.00005, the difference between groups was statistically significant, indicating that the experimental group of TCM was better than the control group in improving glycated hemoglobin. The same difference between the two groups was statistically significant in the study of 11 papers with documented adverse reactions, Chi²=13.26, df=19 (P=0.16), and Z=1.56 (P=0.19), indicating that it is safer to apply TCM to ameliorate inflammatory responses in patients with early diabetic nephropathy. The methodological quality of the 100 RCTs was partially low in the bias test, further indicating that TCM is feasible to improve early diabetic nephropathy.