• Iris Otero-Luis, Arturo Martínez-Rodrigo, Iván Cavero-Redondo, Nerea Moreno-Herráiz, Samuel López-López, and Alicia Saz-Lara.
• CarVasCare Research Group (2023-GRIN-34459), Facultad de Enfermería de Cuenca, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 16002 Cuenca, Spain.
• Postgrad Med J. 2024 Sep 30.

IntroductionSpasticity, a prevalent manifestation of various neurological conditions, significantly impacts the quality of life of patients. Research on the effects of oral drugs on spasticity has produced controversial results. Thus, the aim of this network meta-analysis was to compare the efficacy of oral drugs for improving spasticity in patients with different etiologies.MethodsWe searched four different databases from their inception to 30 November 2023. A network meta-analysis using a frequentist perspective was conducted to assess the effects of different oral drugs on spasticity, evaluated by the modified Ashworth scale.ResultsOur findings showed that, in a frequentist network meta-analysis, eperisone, diazepam, and baclofen had significantly greater spasticity, as measured by the modified Ashworth scale, than did the placebo (MD: -0.80; 95% CIs: -1.42, -0.18; MD: -0.68; 95% CIs: -1.28, -0.09; MD: -0.58; 95% CIs: -1.11, -0.06, respectively).ConclusionIn summary, our study confirmed that eperisone, diazepam, and baclofen could be effective approaches for reducing spasticity of different etiologies and could be useful approaches for improving patient quality of life. Key messages What is already known on this topic: The impact of oral drugs, such as baclofen, gabapentin, tizanidine, and dantrolene, in the treatment of spasticity has been documented. What this study adds: This study determines which of the oral drugs aimed at treating spasticity is the most effective across different etiologies. How this study might affect research, practice, or policy: This study suggests tailored treatment strategies for spasticity based on its etiology.© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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