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. 2022 Sep;44(9):891-898.
doi: 10.1055/s-0042-1755459. Epub 2022 Aug 31.

The Effect of Neuromodulatory Drugs on the Intensity of Chronic Pelvic Pain in Women: A Systematic Review

Marcela Almeida Andrade  1 , Leila Cristina Soares  1 , Marco Aurélio Pinho de Oliveira  1
Affiliations

The Effect of Neuromodulatory Drugs on the Intensity of Chronic Pelvic Pain in Women: A Systematic Review

Marcela Almeida Andrade et al. Rev Bras Ginecol Obstet. 2022 Sep.

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

Objective: To evaluate the effect of neuromodulatory drugs on the intensity of chronic pelvic pain (CPP) in women.

Data sources: Searches were carried out in the PubMed, Cochrane Central, Embase, Lilacs, OpenGrey, and Clinical Trials databases.

Selection of studies: The searches were carried out by two of the authors, not delimiting publication date or original language. The following descriptors were used: chronic pelvic pain in women OR endometriosis, associated with MESH/ENTREE/DeCS: gabapentinoids, gabapentin, amitriptyline, antidepressant, pregabalin, anticonvulsant, sertraline, duloxetine, nortriptyline, citalopram, imipramine, venlafaxine, neuromodulation drugs, acyclic pelvic pain, serotonin, noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, and tricyclic antidepressants, with the Boolean operator OR. Case reports and systematic reviews were excluded.

Data collection: The following data were extracted: author, year of publication, setting, type of study, sample size, intervention details, follow-up time, and results.

Data synthesis: A total of 218 articles were found, with 79 being excluded because they were repeated, leaving 139 articles for analysis: 90 were excluded in the analysis of the titles, 37 after reading the abstract, and 4 after reading the articles in full, and 1 could not be found, therefore, leaving 7 articles that were included in the review.

Conclusion: Most of the studies analyzed have shown pain improvement with the help of neuromodulators for chronic pain. However, no improvement was found in the study with the highest statistical power. There is still not enough evidence that neuromodulatory drugs reduce the intensity of pain in women with CPP.

Objetivo: Avaliar o efeito de drogas neuromoduladoras na intensidade da dor pélvica crônica em mulheres.

Fontes de dados: As buscas foram realizadas nas bases de dados PubMed, Cochrane Central, Embase, Lilacs, OpenGrey e Clinical Trials. SELEçãO DOS ESTUDOS:: As buscas foram realizadas por dois dos autores, não delimitando data de publicação ou idioma de publicação. Foram usados os seguintes descritores: chronic pelvic pain in women OR endometriosis, associated with MESH/ENTREE/DeCS: gabapentinoids, gabapentin, amitriptyline, antidepressant, pregabalin, anticonvulsant, sertraline, duloxetine , nortriptyline, citalopram, imipramine, venlafaxine, neuromodulation drugs, acyclic pelvic pain, serotonin, noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors e tricyclic antidepressants, com o operador booleano OR. Relatos de caso e revisões sistemáticas foram excluídos.

Coleta de dados: Foram extraídos os seguintes dados: autor, ano de publicação, local de origem, tipo de estudo, tamanho da amostra, detalhes da intervenção, tempo de seguimento e resultados. SíNTESE DOS DADOS:: Foram encontrados 218 artigos, sendo 79 deles excluídos por serem repetidos, restando 139 artigos para análise, dos quais 90 foram excluídos na análise dos títulos, 37 após a leitura do resumo e 4 após a leitura dos artigos na íntegra, e 1 não foi encontrado, restando, então, 7 artigos que foram incluídos na revisão. CONCLUSãO:: A maioria dos estudos analisados mostrou melhora da dor crônica com auxílio de neuromoduladores. No entanto, nenhuma melhora foi encontrada no artigo com maior poder estatístico. Ainda não há evidências suficientes de que drogas neuromoduladoras reduzam a intensidade da dor pélvica crônica em mulheres.

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Conflict of interest statement

None to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram of selection and eligibility of studies.
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