Routine anticonvulsants for treating cerebral malaria.
Abstract
Objectives: To evaluate the effect of routine anticonvulsant drugs in people with cerebral malaria. Study selection criteria: Randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials of people with cerebral malaria. The trials compared anticonvulsant drugs started on admission to hospital with no anticonvulsant drug or placebo. Data collection and analysis: Two reviewers independently extracted data from those trials eligible for inclusion. We assessed the methodological quality of the included trials by considering allocation sequence, concealment of allocation, blinding, and inclusion of all randomized participants. We used Review Manager (version 4.1) for the meta-analysis and also explored possible sources of heterogeneity. Main results: Three trials with a total of 573 participants met the inclusion criteria. These trials all compared phenobarbitone with placebo or no treatment. In the two trials with adequate allocation concealment, death was more common in the anticonvulsant group (Relative Risk 2.0; 95% confidence interval 1.20 to 3.33; fixed effect model). In all three trials, phenobarbitone compared with placebo or no treatment was associated with fewer convulsions (Relative Risk 0.30; 95% confidence interval 0.19 to 0.45; fixed effect model). Conclusions: Routine phenobarbitone in cerebral malaria is associated with fewer convulsions but possibly more deaths. Further trials with adequate design, more participants, and different doses of anticonvulsant drugs are needed.
Citation
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2002, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD002152. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002152.