Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10298749 | European Neuropsychopharmacology | 2016 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
Escitalopram is the most selective of the serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants. We conducted a meta-analysis of placebo-controlled studies where escitalopram was used to treat patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD). Data from all randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled studies in SAD with escitalopram from both specialist settings and general practice were used. Patients met the DSM-IV criteria for SAD, were â¥18 years old, and had a Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) â¥60. The primary outcome measure was the estimated treatment difference in LSAS total score at Week 12. Secondary outcome measures included the estimated treatment difference in the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) score at Week 12. A total of 1598 patients from 3 randomised controlled trials were included in the analyses. Escitalopram (n=1061) was superior to placebo (n=537), with an estimated treatment difference on the LSAS of â9.2 points (95%CI: [â14.4; â4.0], p<0.01) (escitalopram 5 mg/day), â4.6 points (95%CI: [â8.1; â1.0], p<0.01) (escitalopram 10 mg/day), â10.1 points (95%CI: [â13.7; â6.5], p<0.01) (escitalopram 20 mg/day) and â7.3 points (95%CI: [â12.3; â2.2], p<0.01) (escitalopram 10-20 mg/day). For the CGI-S, the corresponding values were â0.55 points (95%CI: [â0.79; â0.31], p<0.01) (escitalopram 5 mg/day), â0.26 points (95%CI: [â0.42; â0.10], p<0.01) (escitalopram 10 mg/day), â0.48 points (95%CI: [â0.64; â0.31], p<0.01) (escitalopram 20 mg/day) and â0.29 points (95%CI: [â0.51; â0.07], p<0.05) (escitalopram 10-20 mg/day). The withdrawal rate due to adverse events was 7.2% for escitalopram, compared with 4.3% for placebo (p<0.05). In this meta-analysis, all doses of escitalopram showed significant superiority in efficacy versus placebo in the treatment of patients with SAD.
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Authors
David S. Baldwin, Satoshi Asakura, Tsukasa Koyama, Taiji Hayano, Atsushi Hagino, Elin Reines, Klaus Larsen,