Citicoline for treating people with acute ischemic stroke.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Clinical Trials
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Stroke is a major cause of disability and mortality globally, with increasing prevalence.
• Citicoline is explored as a potential therapy for acute ischemic stroke recovery.
• This review evaluates the efficacy and safety of citicoline in acute ischemic stroke patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the clinical benefits and harms of citicoline compared to placebo or other controls.
• To evaluate citicoline's impact on mortality, disability, and functional recovery in stroke patients.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
• Searched multiple databases including Cochrane Stroke Group, MEDLINE, and Embase.
• Assessed risk of bias and quality of evidence using GRADE approach.

Main Results:

• 10 RCTs with 4281 participants were included; all had a high risk of bias.
• Citicoline showed little to no difference in all-cause mortality (low-quality evidence).
• No significant differences were found in disability, functional recovery, or serious adverse events (low-quality evidence).

Conclusions:

• Current low-quality evidence suggests citicoline offers minimal to no benefit for acute ischemic stroke.
• The safety profile of citicoline is not well-established due to poor reporting of adverse events.
• Further high-quality trials are needed to determine citicoline's true efficacy and safety.