PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Charlotte M. Kohn
AU  - Priyamvada Paudyal
TI  - A systematic review and meta-analysis of complementary and alternative medicine in asthma
AID  - 10.1183/16000617.0092-2016
DP  - 2017 Mar 31
TA  - European Respiratory Review
PG  - 160092
VI  - 26
IP  - 143
4099  - http://err.ersjournals.com/content/26/143/160092.short
4100  - http://err.ersjournals.com/content/26/143/160092.full
SO  - EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY REVIEW2017 Mar 31; 26
AB  - Asthma is a chronic, inflammatory lung disease affecting around 235 million people worldwide. Conventional medications in asthma are not curative and patients have significant concerns regarding their side-effects. Consequently, many asthma patients turn to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for a more holistic approach to care. We systematically reviewed the available evidence on the effectiveness of CAM in the management of asthma in adults.We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED and Cochrane databases for randomised controlled trials published in English between 1990 and 2016 investigating the effectiveness of oral or topical CAM in asthmatic adults. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool.In all, 23 eligible trials were identified covering 19 different CAMs. Overall, there was limited evidence on the effectiveness of CAM in adult asthma as most CAMs were only assessed in a single trial. CAMs with multiple trials provided null or inconsistent results. Many of the trials were rated as having high risk of bias.The existing evidence is insufficient to recommend any of the oral and topical CAMs in the management of asthma in adults.Evidence is insufficient to recommend complementary and alternative medicines in the management of asthma http://ow.ly/xfcg306FSli