Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of the therapy according to Chinese medicine clinical pathway in the treatment of acute upper respiratory infection. Methods The syndromes of the disease were divided into syndrome of superficies tightened by wind-cold

syndrome of superficies attacked by wind-heat

syndrome of superficies attacked by summer-heat-dampness

syndrome of Weifen and Qifen

and syndrome of heat-toxicity blocking lung according to standards of syndrome differentiation of fever caused by exogenous pathogens. The patients were given prescriptions specified in the Chinese medicine clinical pathway. The improvements of fever

headache

sore throat

general sour pain and cough were observed at the 4 th hour

24 th hour and 72 nd hour of treatment. Results Six hundred and twenty-eight patients had finished the observation. There were 102 patients with syndrome of superficies tightened by wind-cold

208 patients with syndrome of superficies attacked by wind-heat

217 patients with syndrome of disease involving Weifen and Qifen

78 patients with syndrome of superficies attacked by summer-heatdampness

and 23 patients with syndrome of heat-toxicity blocking lung. There were 485 patients recovering in 72 hours and 5 patients deteriorating into pneumonia in 72 hours. The effective rates of antipyretic action were 46. 66%

54. 45% and 93. 47% in 4 hours

24 hours and 72 hours

respectively. The effective rate of antipyretic action in 24 hours in patients with syndrome of disease involving Weifen and Qifen was higher than that in 4 hours（ P < 0. 05）.The effective rates of antipyretic action in 72 hours in patients with the other syndromes were higher than those in 24 hours（ P < 0. 05）. The effective rates of antipyretic action in 4 hours and in 24 hours in patients with syndrome of disease involving Weifen and Qifen were higher than those in patients with syndrome of superficies tightened by windcold and patients with syndrome of superficies attacked by wind-heat（ P < 0. 01）. The effective rate of antipyretic action in 24 hours in patients with syndrome of disease involving Weifen and Qifen was also higher than that in patients with syndrome of superficies attacked by summer-heat-dampness（ P < 0. 05）. The effective rates of headache

sore throat and general sour pain at the 4 th hour

24 th hour and 72 nd hour of treatment were 37. 90%

66. 08% and82. 32%

respectively. The effective rates of all the above symptoms in patients with syndrome of superficies tightened by wind-cold

syndrome of superficies attacked by wind-heat

syndrome of superficies attacked by summer-heat-dampness and syndrome of disease involving Weifen and Qifen at the 24 th hour of treatment were higher than those at the4 th hour of treatment（ P < 0. 05）. The effective rates of all the above symptoms in patients with syndrome of superficies tightened by wind-cold

syndrome of superficies attacked by wind-heat

syndrome of disease involving Weifen and Qifen and syndrome of heat-toxicity blocking lung at the 72 nd hour of treatment were higher than those at the 24 th hour of treatment（ P < 0. 05）. The effective rate of all the above symptoms in patients with syndrome of disease involving Weifen and Qifen at the 4 th hour of treatment was 44. 24% and the rate in patients with syndrome of superficies attacked by wind-heat at the 4 th hour of treatment was 33. 65%. The rate in patients with syndrome of disease involving Weifen and Qifen at the 4 th hour of treatment was higher than that in patients with syndrome of superficies attacked by wind-heat（ P < 0. 05）. The effective rates of cough at the 4 th hour

24 th hour and 72 nd hour of treatment were 34. 55%

59. 71% and 73. 73%

respectively. The effective rates of cough in patients with syndrome of superficies tightened by wind-cold

syndrome of superficies attacked by wind-heat

syndrome of superficies attacked by summer-heat-dampness and syndrome of disease involving Weifen and Qifen at the 24 th hour of treatment were higher than those at the 4 th hour of treatment（ P < 0. 05）. The effective rates of cough in patients with syndrome of superficies tightened by wind-cold

syndrome of superficies attacked by wind-heat and syndrome of disease involving Weifen and Qifen at the 72 nd hour of treatment were higher than those at the 24 th hour of treatment（ P < 0. 05）. Conclusion Therapy based on Chinese medicine clinical pathway seems to have definite curative effect in the treatment of acute upper respiratory infection.