Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2003
Review Meta AnalysisContinuous passive motion following total knee arthroplasty.
Knee arthroplasty (KA) is a common intervention that can enhance the quality of life for patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Post-surgery rehabilitation protocols often include continuous passive motion (CPM). However, CPM protocols vary considerably amongst institutions. ⋯ CPM combined with PT, may offer beneficial results compared to PT alone in the short term rehabilitation following total knee arthroplasty.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2003
Review Meta AnalysisCarbamazepine versus phenobarbitone monotherapy for epilepsy.
In developing countries, phenobarbitone is commonly used but its use in Europe and the USA has decreased due to concerns over adverse effects. Carbamazepine is recommended as the drug of choice for partial onset seizures, and there is concern that it may worsen some generalized onset seizure types. We report a review using individual patient data in which carbamazepine and phenobarbitone are compared. ⋯ We found no overall difference between carbamazepine and phenobarbitone for time to 12 month remission or time to first seizure, however, subgroup analyses for time to first seizure suggest an advantage with phenobarbitone for partial onset seizures and a clinical advantage with carbamazepine for generalized onset tonic-clonic seizures. Phenobarbitone is significantly more likely to be withdrawn, indicating that it is less well tolerated than carbamazepine.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2003
Review Meta AnalysisMinocycline for acne vulgaris: efficacy and safety.
Minocycline is a tetracycline antibiotic that is commonly used in the treatment of moderate to severe acne vulgaris. Although it is more convenient for patients to take than first-generation tetracyclines, as it only needs to be taken once or twice a day and can be taken with food, it is more expensive. Concerns have also been expressed over its safety following the deaths of two patients taking the drug. There is a lack of consensus among dermatologists over the relative risks and benefits of minocycline. As most acne prescribing is undertaken by general practitioners, it is important that guidelines issued to them are based on the best available evidence rather than personal judgements. ⋯ Minocycline is likely to be an effective treatment for moderate acne vulgaris, but this review found no reliable RCT evidence to justify its continued use first-line, especially given the price differential and the concerns that still remain about its safety. Its efficacy relative to other acne therapies could not be reliably determined due to the poor methodological quality of the trials and lack of consistent choice of outcome measures. Similarly the relative risk of adverse drug reactions could not be ascertained reliably and no recommendations can be made concerning the appropriate dose that should be used. It is hoped that this review will highlight the inadequacy of acne trials in general and encourage improvements in methodological quality and standards of reporting.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2003
Review Meta AnalysisHaemoglobin and haematocrit targets for the anaemia of chronic renal disease.
Anaemia affects 60-80% of patients with renal impairment, reduces quality of life and is a risk factor for early death. Treatment options are blood transfusion, erythropoietin (EPO) alpha or beta and darbepoetin alfa. Recently higher haemoglobin (Hb) and haematocrit targets have been widely advocated because of positive data from observational studies. However, higher targets may lead to access thrombosis and hypertension and are costly. ⋯ Lower Hb targets of 100 g/L were associated with a lower risk of death in the population with cardiovascular impairment and chronic renal disease as compared to Hb 140 g/L. Lower Hb targets (Hb < 100 g/L) were also significantly associated with an increased risk for seizures and a reduced risk of hypertension compared to Hb > 100 g/L. There is a need of more adequately powered, well-designed and reported trials in this area. In particular, randomised controlled trials comparing the benefits and harms of low (Hb < 100 g/L) versus intermediate (Hb 130 g/L) and high (Hb 140 g/L) targets in the pre-dialysis population with chronic renal disease are necessary. In fact, there is a large deficiency of trials in the pre-dialysis population. The new trials should focus on hard outcomes and also look at outcomes which were previously not studied adequately, such as seizures and quality of life, which is to be assessed with validated measures.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2003
Review Meta AnalysisOptions for self-management education for adults with asthma.
Asthma education and self-management are key recommendations of asthma management guidelines because they improve health outcomes. There are several different modalities for the delivery of asthma self-management education. ⋯ Optimal self-management allowing for optimisation of asthma control by adjustment of medications may be conducted by either self-adjustment with the aid of a written action plan or by regular medical review. Individualised written action plans based on peak expiratory flow are equivalent to action plans based on symptoms. Reducing the intensity of self-management education or level of clinical review may reduce its effectiveness.