Meta-analysis and systematic evaluation of traditional Chinese and Conventional therapies for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Background:
ALS, as a neurodegenerative disease with an unclear mechanism, is now available to patients with many therapies, but the majority of patients respond with a poor outcome.
Objectives:
Encompassing traditional riluzole and edaravone, as well as TCM and numerous alternative therapies, with the goal of identifying the remedy that demonstrates efficacy for ALS patients.
Search methods:
The English literature sources for this study were collected from PubMed,and the Chinese literature were from the three primary Chinese databases - Wipu, Wanfang, and CNKI - using the search term "Mesh (ALS, treatment)".
Selection criteria:
Types of studies: randomised trials or cohort studies
Types of subjects: patients with a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Data collection and analysis:
We identified 18 eligible trials.
Authors’ conclusions
The efficacy of riluzole at 100 mg/d was significantly different from that of placebo, whereas the efficacy of edaravone was not significant. In Chinese medicine, acupuncture and tuina treatment or the use of Chinese herbs may further enhance the efficacy of riluzole and improve patients' quality of life.More recent therapies, such as stem cell therapy, have varying degrees of efficacy in patients and need to be further validated.