Choto-san versus placebo for patients with dementia: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Choto-san is a traditional medicine used for hypertension and headaches in Japan and China. Some studies have shown its effectiveness in the treatment of dementia. The present review aimed to assess the effectiveness and acceptability of Choto-san in the treatment of adults with cognitive impairment.

METHODS:

We included randomized controlled trials comparing Choto-san with placebo for patients with dementia or mild cognitive impairment.

RESULTS:

Three randomized controlled trials evaluating 219 participants were included. Two were studies on vascular dementia, and the other was on Alzheimer's dementia. There was no difference between Choto-san and placebo in terms of short-term dichotomous judgement of improvement, but Choto-san was more effective than placebo in terms of short-term improvement of cognitive function as measured by continuous outcomes. Also, dropouts judged it to be acceptable. However, the results were imprecise and/or heterogeneous. The number of participants included in the analysis was small (n = 199 in the primary analysis) and sometimes inconsistent, as indicated by the large I 2 (72% in the primary analysis).

CONCLUSION:

Low-quality evidence was suggestive of Choto-san's efficacy for vascular dementia, but the present results may be overestimated. Studies with a larger sample size and conducted over longer periods should be performed. Regardless, Choto-san can be one of the choices for the treatment of vascular dementia as it is well tolerated.

• Authors: Hissei Imai, Nozomi Takeshima, Haruhiko Oda, Peiyao Chen, Etsuko Sawada, Toshiaki A Furukawa
• Journal: Psychogeriatrics : the official journal of the Japanese Psychogeriatric Society (Psychogeriatrics) Vol. 17 Issue 6 Pg. 466-478 (Nov 2017) ISSN: 1479-8301 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 28589702 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Review, Systematic Review)
• Copyright: © 2017 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.

Chemical References

• Drugs, Chinese Herbal
• Placebos
• Plant Extracts
• choto-san

Topics

• Cognition Disorders (drug therapy)
• Dementia (drug therapy, metabolism)
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal (therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Placebos (therapeutic use)
• Plant Extracts
• Plants, Medicinal
• Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
• Treatment Outcome