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Published on: December 5, 2017
Oral vasodilators for primary Raynaud's phenomenon.
Marlene Stewart1, Joanne R Morling
1Centre for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. Marlene.Stewart@ed.ac.uk.
This review found limited evidence for vasodilator drugs in treating primary Raynaud's phenomenon. Most studies had poor quality, showing no significant benefits for common treatments.
Area of Science:
- Vascular Medicine
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Primary Raynaud's phenomenon treatment options are limited, with calcium channel blockers being the primary choice.
- Evidence for alternative pharmacological treatments remains scarce.
- This review is an update of research first published in 2008.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of various vasodilator drugs for symptomatic relief in primary Raynaud's phenomenon.
- To assess the impact of these drugs on symptom frequency, severity, and patient-reported outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using oral vasodilator formulations.
- Searched multiple databases and contacted pharmaceutical companies for data.
- Included studies comparing vasodilators to placebo, excluding calcium channel blockers.
Main Results:
- Eight RCTs with 290 participants were analyzed, most of poor methodological quality.
- Enalapril showed a slight increase in attack frequency; buflomedil and moxisylyte had mixed results on attack frequency.
- No significant effects were found for captopril, beraprost, dazoxiben, or ketanserin; beraprost and moxisylyte increased adverse events.
Conclusions:
- Limited data and poor study quality restrict the conclusions that can be drawn.
- Currently, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of these vasodilator drugs for primary Raynaud's phenomenon.
- Further high-quality research is needed to clarify potential treatment benefits.
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