Published in Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2014 Oct
Authors: Zhang SS et al
BACKGROUND:
Pregabalin is considered to be an effective treatment for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), but controversy exists about its efficacy and safety. We performed a meta-analysis to systematically assess the efficacy and safety of pregabalin for managing pain associated with DPN.
METHODS:
Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register were searched in July 2014 for randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials published in English on the use of pregabalin to treat DPN-associated pain. Principal outcomes were mean pain score after pregabalin treatment and the proportions of patients showing a pain reduction of at least 50%.
RESULTS:
Nine trials involving a total of 2056 participants were identified. Pooled analysis showed that pregabalin was significantly superior to placebo for improving mean pain scores [mean difference (MD) = -0.79, P less than 0.001]. Pregabalin reduced pain below baseline by at least 50% in a significantly greater proportion of patients than placebo did [relative risk = 1.54, P less than 0.001]. Patients were more likely to self-report their status as ‘improved’ after taking pregabalin than placebo (relative risk = 1.38, P less than 0.001). Pregabalin also improved sleep quality more than placebo (MD = -0.88, P less than 0.001). On the other hand, patients receiving pregabalin were more likely to experience mild side effects than were patients receiving placebo.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our meta-analysis indicates that pregabalin is more effective than placebo for managing DPN-associated pain and other symptoms that reduce quality of life. The drug is also reasonably well tolerated.