Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Feb 2024
Review Meta AnalysisEvening versus morning dosing regimen drug therapy for hypertension.
Variation in blood pressure levels display circadian rhythms. Complete 24-hour blood pressure control is the primary goal of antihypertensive treatment and reducing adverse cardiovascular outcomes is the ultimate aim. This is an update of the review first published in 2011. ⋯ Due to the very limited data and the defects of the trials' designs, this systematic review did not find adequate evidence to determine which time dosing drug therapy regimen has more beneficial effects on cardiovascular outcomes or adverse events. We have very little confidence in the evidence showing that evening dosing of antihypertensive drugs is no more or less effective than morning administration to lower 24-hour blood pressure. The conclusions should not be assumed to apply to people receiving multiple antihypertensive drug regimens.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Feb 2024
ReviewMobile health technologies to improve walking distance in people with intermittent claudication.
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is the obstruction or narrowing of the large arteries of the lower limbs, which can result in impaired oxygen supply to the muscle and other tissues during exercise, or even at rest in more severe cases. PAD is classified into five categories (Fontaine classification). It may be asymptomatic or various levels of claudication pain may be present; at a later stage, there may be ulceration or gangrene of the limb, with amputation occasionally being required. About 20% of people with PAD suffer from intermittent claudication (IC), which is muscular discomfort in the lower extremities induced by exertion and relieved by rest within 10 minutes; IC causes restriction of movement in daily life. Treatment for people with IC involves addressing lifestyle risk factors. Exercise is an important part of treatment, but supervised exercise programmes for individuals with IC have low engagement levels and high attrition rates. The use of mobile technologies has been suggested as a new way to engage people with IC in walking exercise interventions. The novelty of the intervention, low cost for the user, automation, and ease of access are some of the advantages mobile health (mhealth) technologies provide that give them the potential to be effective in boosting physical activity in adults. ⋯ Mobile health technologies can be used to provide lifestyle interventions for people with chronic conditions, such as IC. We identified a limited number of studies that met our inclusion criteria. We found no clear difference between mhealth and usual care in improving absolute walking distance in people with IC; however, we judged the evidence to be low certainty. Larger, well-designed RCTs are needed to provide adequate statistical power to reliably evaluate the effects of mhealth technologies on walking distance in people with IC.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Feb 2024
Review Meta AnalysisIntravenous immunoglobulin for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) causes progressive or relapsing weakness and numbness of the limbs, which lasts for at least two months. Uncontrolled studies have suggested that intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) could help to reduce symptoms. This is an update of a review first published in 2002 and last updated in 2013. ⋯ Evidence from RCTs shows that IVIg improves disability for at least two to six weeks compared with placebo, with an NNTB of 4. During this period, IVIg probably has similar efficacy to oral prednisolone and IVMP. Further placebo-controlled trials are unlikely to change these conclusions. In one large trial, the benefit of IVIg compared with placebo in terms of improved disability score persisted for 24 weeks. Further research is needed to assess the long-term benefits and harms of IVIg relative to other treatments.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Feb 2024
Review Meta AnalysisInterventions for thrombosed haemodialysis arteriovenous fistulas and grafts.
Patients who present with problems with definitive dialysis access (arteriovenous fistula (AVF) or arteriovenous graft (AVG)) become catheter dependent (temporary access), a condition that often carries a higher risk of infections, central venous occlusions and recurrent hospitalisations. For AVG, primary patency rates are reported to be 30% to 90% in patients undergoing thrombectomy or thrombolysis. According to the National Kidney Foundation-Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (NKF-KDOQI) guidelines, surgery is preferred when the cause of the thrombosis is a stenosis at the site of the anastomosis in thrombosed AVF. The European Best Practice Guidelines (EBPG) reported that thrombosed AVF may be preferably treated with endovascular techniques, but when the cause of thrombosis is in the anastomosis, surgery provides better results with re-anastomosis. Therefore, there is a need to carry out a systematic review to determine the effectiveness and safety of the intervention for thrombosed fistulae. ⋯ It remains unclear whether any intervention therapy affects the patency at 30 days or failure in any thrombosed HD AV access (very low certainty of evidence). Future research will very likely change the evidence base. Based on the importance of HD access to these patients, future studies of these interventions among people receiving HD should be a priority.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Feb 2024
Review Meta AnalysisEarly developmental intervention programmes provided post hospital discharge to prevent motor and cognitive impairment in preterm infants.
Infants born preterm are at increased risk of cognitive and motor impairments compared with infants born at term. Early developmental interventions for preterm infants are targeted at the infant or the parent-infant relationship, or both, and may focus on different aspects of early development. They aim to improve developmental outcomes for these infants, but the long-term benefits remain unclear. This is an update of a Cochrane review first published in 2007 and updated in 2012 and 2015. ⋯ Early developmental intervention programmes for preterm infants probably improve cognitive and motor outcomes during infancy (low-certainty evidence) while, at preschool age, intervention is shown to improve cognitive outcomes (high-certainty evidence). Considerable heterogeneity exists between studies due to variations in aspects of the intervention programmes, the population and outcome measures utilised. Further research is needed to determine which types of early developmental interventions are most effective in improving cognitive and motor outcomes, and in particular to discern whether there is a longer-term benefit from these programmes.