[Evidence mapping analysis of clinical research on TCM for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in recent five...

This study employed evidence mapping to systematically summarize clinical research on TCM for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) in recent five years, aiming to characterize the distribution characteristics and methodological quality of the evidence, thereby providing an evidence-based reference for optimizing clinical decision-making and guiding future research directions. A computerized search was conducted in CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Web of Science, EMbase, and the Cochrane Library for literature on TCM for COPD, with the search period spanning from January 2020 to October 2025. The focus was on both the stable phase and acute exacerbation of COPD. Evidence characteristics were presented comparatively using a combination of text and charts. A total of 962 articles were ultimately included. Publication volume in this field has shown a fluctuating downward trend in recent five years. The predominant study type was randomized controlled trial(RCT), with sample sizes in interventional studies mostly concentrated between 61 and 120 cases. The treatment regimen in experimental groups primarily involved TCM combined with western medicine. The intervention durations were mainly 3 months for stable phase of COPD and 2 weeks for acute exacerbation of COPD, involving 50 and 48 classical formulas, and 48 and 32 Chinese proprietary medicines, respectively. The primary TCM syndrome distributions were lung-kidney deficiency syndrome for stable phase of COPD and phlegm-heat obstruction in the lung for acute exacerbation of COPD. Outcome indicators covered categories such as lung function indices, clinical efficacy evaluations, serological markers, and TCM syndrome scores. Most RCTs exhibited issues such as unclear allocation concealment and insufficient application of blinding. The overall quality of systematic reviews was relatively low. TCM demonstrates unique advantages in the treatment of COPD. However, the overall quality of the existing relevant literature is variable and requires improvement. Future research needs to further standardize study designs to enhance the scientific rigor and methodological quality of clinical studies and improve the methodological standards of systematic reviews. This will provide higher-level evidence-based medical evidence for TCM in treating COPD, supporting its standardized clinical application and promotion.