OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of integrated TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine)/WM (Western Medicine) on severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) treatments compared with those patients treated with WM alone. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical studies. Data were collected from published and unpublished controlled clinical studies, and systematic clinical reviews indexed in either Medline, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), or other important official reports from 2003 to 2005. A total of 4122 patients from 30 controlled clinical studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria were identified for this study. Outcome measurements: mortality rate, resolution of lung infiltrate, the use of corticosteroid, time to defervesence, immune functions tests, duration of hospitalization,the Adverse Drug Reactions. RESULTS: Of 30 selected studies, there were 2110 patients from 20 randomized controlled studies and 2012 patients from ten non-randomized controlled studies. The pooled estimated mortality rates in the integrated TCM /WM and WM groups were 40.1 per 1,000 and 136.4 per 1,000, respectively (Relative Risk= 0.31, 95%CI =0.20- 0.48, p<0.0001). Analysis of the clinical cure rate showed a significant treatment effect for integrative treatments (p=0.004). Patients with integrated TCM/WM used less corticosteroid in terms of daily dosage (p<0.00001). Last, patients with TCM/WM had better resolution rate of lung infiltrate (p=0.0002), more rapid resolution of fever (p=0.001), higher counts of CD4+ lymphocyte (p=0.0008), and less duration of hospitalization (p=0.04). In addition, through the literatures review, we found that integrated TCM/WM also could lower the abnormal level of ALT and AST resulted from the medications and reduce the possibility of the occurrence of ADR or other complications.CONCLUSIONS: The integrated TCM/WM for SARS treatments was superior to the treatment with WM alone in terms of lower mortality rate, high curative rate, and other clinical outcomes. It is clinically important to consider the integrated TCM/WM treatment for SARS treatment.