title: Puerarin and betahistine treatment of vertebrobasilar ischemia vertigo: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
abstract: The present meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of puerarin co-treatment with betahistine in treating vertebrobasilar ischemia (VBI) vertigo. A total of 6 medical databases were searched, identifying randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of VBI vertigo performed until August 2014 that investigated a combined treatment of puerarin with betahistine or with other conventional drugs. The quality of the literature was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias, and Rev Man 5.0 software was used for statistical analysis and evaluation. The present study included 7 RCTs, involving a total of 664 subjects, and revealed a statistically significant increase in efficacy between the control and the experimental group (odds ratio [OR], 4.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.05 to 8.15). The average blood flow velocity within the vertebrobasilar arteries increased following treatment with puerarin and betahistine compared with that of the control groups (OR, 7.59; 95% CI, 6.19 to 9.00); however, no difference was detected between these groups in the average flow velocity within the left vertebral artery (OR, 6.17; 95% CI, 5.22 to 7.13). The frequency of adverse reactions in the experimental group was lower (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.32 to 1.77) compared with the control group. Combined puerarin and betahistine regimens were more effective in treating VBI vertigo compared with other, conventional drugs; effectively alleviating the associated symptoms, including dizziness and increased average blood flow velocity within the vertebrobasilar arteries, without causing an increased number of serious side effects. However, the efficacy and safety of puerarin and betahistine use in treating VBI vertigo requires additional investigation.
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100102, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yan-Yan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300457, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100102, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100102, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100102, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ye-Wen
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100102, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100102, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Y I
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100102, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wu
keywords: betahistine; meta-analysis; puerarin; randomized controlled trials; vertebrobasilar ischemia vertigo