Qingke Pingchuan granules as adjuvant therapy for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute exacerbation asthma, and acute bronchitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

TL;DR

This study finds that Qingke Pingchuan Granules, when used with standard treatment, improves outcomes for patients with certain respiratory conditions without increasing side effects.

Contribution

The study provides evidence that Qingke Pingchuan Granules is a safe and effective adjuvant therapy for acute airway inflammatory diseases.

Findings

Qingke Pingchuan Granules improved clinical outcomes, lung function, and inflammatory markers in patients with AECOPD, AEA, and AB.

The treatment did not increase the risk of adverse events compared to conventional treatment alone.

Qingke Pingchuan Granules reduced inflammation and improved quality of life for patients with AECOPD.

Abstract

Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD), Acute Exacerbation of Asthma(AEA), and acute bronchitis (AB) are known as the common acute airway inflammatory illnesses. This study seeks to systematically assess the effective rate and safety of Qingke Pingchuan Granules (QKPC) in treating these three illnesses in order to give evidence-based recommendations for therapeutic practice.

Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Elsevier ScienceDirect, CNKI, Wanfang Data, and VIP databases were all thoroughly scoured between their creation and November 2025. Leveraging the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, two reviewers independently sifted through the reports, retrieved study data, and assessed the methodological rigor. RevMan 5.4 and Stata 17.0 software were used for statistical analyses, and effect sizes were reported as RR or MD with 95% CIs. The Cochrane Q test and the I2 statistic were used to evaluate heterogeneity.

21 RCTs with 2087 individuals were incorporated into this study. The findings demonstrated that QKPC in conjunction with conventional treatment considerably improved clinical outcomes, including overall response rate, FEV₁%, and FVC, as compared to conventional Western medicine alone. Additionally, it decreased the inflammatory factor (CRP). QKPC significantly improved the CAT score, mMRC score, 6MWT distance, and PaO₂ for AECOPD-specific outcomes (all p < 0.05). It decreased serum IgE and increased PEF for AEA. It reduced the time it took for AB to resolve their cough, and also reduced TNF-α and IL-1β levels. The incidence of adverse events (mainly gastrointestinal reactions and skin rashes) did not differ significantly between the two groups (RR = 0.73, 95% CI [0.49, 1.09]), with no significant abnormalities in liver or kidney function observed. The results’ robustness was validated by sensitivity analysis, and publication bias adjustment had no effect on the importance of the main conclusions.

In patients with AECOPD, AEA, and AB, QKPC in conjunction with traditional Western medicine treatment can dramatically enhance clinical efficacy, lung function, and inflammatory status without raising the risk of adverse reactions. For these acute airway inflammatory illnesses, it is a safe and effective adjuvant therapy alternative that indicated to significantly improve symptoms, lung function, and quality of life in individuals with AECOPD.

Unique Identifier (CRD420251229191), (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251229191).

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