da Silva Rodrigues D, Santos Bastos Soares A, Dizioli Franco Bueno C. The use of cannabinoids in children with epilepsy: A systematic review.
Epilepsy Behav 2023;
145:109330. [PMID:
37390729 DOI:
10.1016/j.yebeh.2023.109330]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Epileptic syndromes affecting children can sometimes be refractory to pharmacological treatments. Cannabinoids, especially cannabidiol, began to be studied to contribute to the treatment of these syndromes, configuring an expanding research area. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the scientific evidence available in the literature regarding the use of cannabinoids in the therapy of children with epilepsy.
METHOD
This is a systematic literature review, carried out according to the structure of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA), in the SCIELO, Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE databases. Observational studies or clinical trials were included, conducted in humans, addressing the use of cannabinoids in pediatric patients with epilepsy, published in the last 10 years.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In all, 626 studies were found and analyzed, of which 29 were considered eligible for the research; studies indicated good efficacy, safety, and tolerability of cannabidiol in several syndromes, with emphasis on Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes, in addition to practical issues were perceived regarding the applicability and expectations of patients and physicians.
CONCLUSION
The use of cannabidiol was considered effective and safe, yet the studies were mostly carried out in the same countries.
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