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Review
. 2022 Apr 27;14(4):e24529.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.24529. eCollection 2022 Apr.

Use of Levodopa After a Stroke: A Systematic Review

Juan A Moncayo  1 , Mario Yepez  2 , Mikaela Camacho  3 , Alex S Aguirre  4 , Diego Ojeda  5 , Juan Fernando Ortiz  6   7 , Meghdeep Sen  8 , Jennifer Argudo  9 , Lucia Proano  10 , Steven Cordova  7 , Nishel Kothari  11
Affiliations
Review

Use of Levodopa After a Stroke: A Systematic Review

Juan A Moncayo et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, especially in certain ethnic groups. Impaired consciousness is a common outcome in stroke patients, serving as a predictor of prognosis and mortality. Lately, there has been increased interest in drugs such as Levodopa (LD), which have been found to promote wakefulness. To further appreciate this association, we gathered updated evidence of this novel therapeutic approach and compared it, evaluating its clinical use in an acute stroke setting. We carried out a systematic review of clinical trials conducted exclusively on stroke patients who received levodopa. Four clinical trials were reviewed and analyzed after applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The use of levodopa showed positive results in four of the clinical trials, and statistically significant results in 3/4 of the studies; however, more studies need to be conducted to corroborate these results.

Keywords: levodopa; recovery; stimulant; stroke; wakefullness.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. PRISMA flow chart of the systematic review
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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