masterThesis
Eficacia y seguridad de la melatonina para el manejo de los trastornos del sueño en el autismo: meta-análisis
Fecha
2016Autor
Rodríguez T., María del Rosario
Méndez Álvarez, Liliana P.
Jairo M., González Díaz
Institución
Resumen
INTRODUCTION: Up to 80% of children and adolescents with autism spectrum
disorders (ASD) has a sleep disorder, in whose genesis some alterations in the
regulation of melatonin are apparently involved. The aim of this meta-analysis was to
determine the efficacy and safety of melatonin for management of certain sleep
disorders in children with ASD.
METHODS: Three reviewers extracted relevant data from high-quality double-blind
randomized clinical trials published in primary, clinical trials, systematic reviews and
gray literature databases; further search was conducted in snowball. Data were
analyzed with RevMan 5.3. An inverse of variance analysis by random-effects model
was made for the mean differences of the proposed outcomes was performed (total
sleep time, sleep onset latency and number of nighttime awakenings). Inter-study
heterogeneity was evaluated with I2 parameter.
RESULTS: The initial search yielded 355 results, of which three met the selection
criteria. Melatonin was found to be a safe and effective drug to increase total sleep
time and decrease sleep onset latency in children and adolescents with ASD; so far
the evidence on the number of night awakenings is not statistically significant.
DISCUSSION: According to available evidence, melatonin is a safe and effective
choice for managing certain sleep problems in children and adolescents with ASD.
Studies are needed with larger sample sizes and comparing with other drugs available
in the market.