European journal of clinical pharmacology
-
Eur. J. Clin. Pharmacol. · Jan 1994
Meta AnalysisThe effectiveness of topically applied capsaicin. A meta-analysis.
To undertake a quantitative overview of trials of topical capsaicin for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy, osteoarthritis, post-herpetic neuralgia, and psoriasis. A systematic search of the literature using both computerized and manual methods for identifying clinical trials of capsaicin. The trials identified were abstracted for response data, which then were analysed using established meta-analytic methods for both fixed and random effects modelling. ⋯ Using a random effect model the rate difference (RD) in favour of capsaicin cream was RD = 0.25 (95% CI = 0.15, 0.35). Capsaicin cream was also better than placebo in providing pain relief in osteoarthritis: OR = 4.36 (95% CI = 2.77, 6.88) and RD = 0.29 (95% CI = 0.20, 0.37) and in psoriasis: OR = 2.80 (95% CI = 1.69, 4.62) and RD = 0.35 (95% CI = 0.14, 0.56). There was, however, evidence of heterogeneity in the individual RDs in psoriasis, and complete binding was difficulty because of the initial discomfort associated with topical capsaicin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)