This study aims to systematically retrieve and sort out the clinical research evidence of oral Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of vascular dementia (VaD) and understand the distribution and quality of the existing evidence in this field. PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, and SinoMed databases were retrieved from their establishment to November 5, 2024. Evidence diagrams were used to comprehensively present the data distribution characteristics. A total of 211 pieces of literature were included, among which 176 were RCTs, 11 were non-RCTs, 3 were retrospective studies, 1 was cohort study, 17 were systematic reviews/Meta-analyses, and 3 were expert recommendations or consensuses. It involves 45 kinds of Chinese patent medicines. Among them, Ginkgo Leave Tablets/Capsules are the most widely used. Most of the research periods are 8-12 weeks, and the sample size is 51-100 cases. The main outcome indicators include clinical efficacy, cognitive function evaluation, quality of life evaluation, safety indicators, neurological function indicators, hemorheological indicators, etc. The literature quality of RCTs, non-RCTs, and systematic reviews/Meta-analyses are generally not high, and the quality level of evidence is relatively low. Most studies have shown that oral Chinese patent medicines have potential efficacy in the treatment of VaD, but there is a lack of high-quality clinical evidence. Chinese patent medicines have advantages in the treatment of VaD, but there is still a lack of high-quality studies. This suggests that in future clinical research, large-sample and multi-center RCTs need to be carried out. Meanwhile, clinical research design and reporting should be standardized in accordance with relevant guidelines or tools to explore the characteristic advantages of oral Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of VaD, select reasonable outcome indicators, and strive to improve the quality of clinical research in TCM. This will help standardize the research plan, produce advanced evidence-based medical evidence with rigor and scientificity, and provide strong support for the prevention and treatment of VaD with TCM.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |