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| Evidence mapping of clinical research on traditional Chinese medicine interventions for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children |
| Hits 224 Download times 32 Received:December 01, 2025 |
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| DOI
10.11656/j.issn.1672-1519.2026.03.09 |
| Key Words
traditional Chinese medicine;attention deficit hyperactivity disorder;evidence map;clinical study;randomized controlled trials |
| Author Name | Affiliation | E-mail | | YAN Yurou | Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100070, China | | | ZHANG Ning | The Seventh Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100010, China | | | ZHANG Qiang | Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100070, China | | | LI Yuan | Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100070, China | | | ZHOU Kangning | Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100070, China | | | ZHAI Rui | Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100070, China | | | JIANG Yanlin | Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100070, China | | | ZHANG Mengjie | Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100070, China | | | WANG Junhong | Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100070, China | drjhwang@bucm.edu.cn |
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| Abstract
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| [Objective] To systematically analyze the current status of clinical research on traditional Chinese medicine treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder（ADHD） using an evidence map. [Methods] Computerized searches were conducted in PubMed，Web of Science，Cochrane Library，EMbase，PsycINFO，CNKI，Wanfang，VIP，and SinoMed databases. Relevant studies on traditional Chinese medicine treatment for ADHD were retrieved from the inception of each database to January 2025. Quality assessments were conducted using the Cochrane Handbook risk of bias tool，AMSTAR 2，and AGREE Ⅱ for included randomized controlled trials，systematic reviews/meta-analyses，and guidelines/expert consensus statements，respectively. Evidence distribution patterns from clinical studies are presented using text combined with line charts，bubble charts，stacked bar charts，and three-line tables. [Results] 1）Research interest in traditional Chinese medicine treatment for ADHD peaked in 2005 before showing a fluctuating decline，with a recent resurgence approaching historical highs. Study sample sizes predominantly ranged from 51 to 100 cases，while intervention durations for randomized controlled trials（RCTs） and non-RCTs primarily spanned 8 to 12 weeks and 4 to 8 weeks，respectively. 2） The most frequently used intervention was oral administration of single Chinese herbal medicines（59.2%），while compound Chinese herbal formulas were the most frequently used intervention（50.0%）. The most frequently used classical formula was Ganmai Dazao Tang（46.2%），while the most frequently used contemporary formulas were Liuwei Dihuang Wan and Guipi Tang（both 15.2%）. Core syndrome patterns primarily included liver-kidney yin deficiency（19.8%） and heart-spleen deficiency（19.0%）. 3） Outcome measures predominantly assessed clinical efficacy and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome evaluation，with insufficient attention to primary/secondary outcome differentiation，functional impairment and comorbidities，scale application and reporting standards，and economic evaluation indicators. 4） Methodological quality urgently requires improvement：RCTs exhibited high risk of bias due to issues in randomization methods，allocation concealment，and blinding implementation；Meta-analyses/systematic reviews primarily had problems in pre-registration of study protocols，exclusion criteria and justifications，funding sources of included studies，and conflicts of interest；expert consensus/guidelines showed deficiencies in formulation rigor，applicability，and editorial independence. [Conclusion] Future clinical studies need to focus on top-level design，standardize and optimize research protocols，improve research quality，fully explore the therapeutic advantages of traditional Chinese medicine，and provide higher-level evidence-based evidence for the treatment of ADHD with traditional Chinese medicine. |
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