Role of Colchicine in Stroke Prevention: An Updated Meta-Analysis

Colchicine is a microtubule inhibitor with anti-inflammatory properties. As the body and quality of evidence regarding the efficacy of colchicine for cardiovascular prevention is controversial, the aims of this study was to evaluate the effect of colchicine therapy on vascular events.

A meta-analysis was performed of randomized controlled clinical trials of colchicine on high cardiovascular risk populations, reporting data from stroke, myocardial infarction, cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality, after searching the PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Controlled Trials databases. A random-effects meta-analysis model was then applied.

Nine eligible trials of colchicine therapy, involving a total of 6630 patients, were considered eligible for analysis (3359 subjects were allocated to receive colchicine while 3271 subjects were allocated to the respective control arms). The stroke incidence was lower in the colchicine group compared with placebo arm (OR, .33; 95%CI, .15-.70; 6 studies evaluated). We did not find a significant reduction in the incidence of myocardial infarction, cardiovascular mortality or all-cause mortality.

Our data suggest that in a population with high cardiovascular risk, the use of colchicine results in significant reduction on stroke risk. Colchicine is an accessible drug that could be successfully utilized for the prevention of atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease. The tolerability and benefits should be confirmed in ongoing clinical trials.