Pharmacological Interventions for Excoriation Behaviors in Alzheimer's Disease: An Empty Systematic Review of...

skin-picking behaviors are often maintained in association with mood changes, but can also manifest as separate manifestations particularly in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Verifying the effect of interventions on its remission may contribute to reducing stress in patients and caregivers. This systematic review sought to evaluate the eficacy of pharmacological interventions for skin-picking behaviors in elderly individuals with AD.

according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020), searches were conducted in ClinicalTrials.gov,Embase, Lilacs, Open Science Framework, PsycNET, PubMed, Scopus, SciELO, SciELO Preprints and Web of Science, with no language or date restrictions. Inclusion criteria were clinical trials with participants aged ≥ 40 years with AD, evaluating pre/ post-test outcomes with standardized instruments.

of the 87 records found, none met the eligibility criteria, configuring an empty review. Two studies related to the topic were excluded because they were not clinical trials (a single case report and a case series), involving five patients treated with antipsychotics (risperidone, pimozide and thioridazine) and antidepressants (paroxetine). The absence of eligible studies suggests a gap in the literature and the lack of robust evidence on the pharmacological efficacy on these behavioral symptoms in this population.

future clinical trials are needed to support specific therapeutic recommendations, since the evidence suggested by studies that are not clinical trials, evaluated in addition to the main objective of this review, is primary and limited.