Stroke: gangliosides have no clear effect on death.

Clinical bottom line (level 1a-)

  1. Patients with acute ischaemic stroke who are given gangliosides have no clear difference in death at 30 days, than those given a control.
Candelise and Ciccone: The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, Oxford:Update Software 1999; 2: -
Expires December 2003

The study

Systematic review of randomised controlled trials of
  • Patients: presumed or definite acute ischaemic stroke
  • Intervention: gangliosides within 15 days of symptom onset compared with placebo, standard therapy or other experimental treatments
  • Outcome: death at 30 days


    • Articles found in ? using Cochrane Stroke Group trials register, ? (search terms: ) and contacted drug companies.

    Selection criteria: as above
    Appraisal criteria: detailed in text
    Articles excluded if: randomisation not concealed, less than 30 days of follow-up or subarachnoid haemorrhage.

    Ten trials involving 2077 patients were included.
    There was no significant heterogeneity.

    The evidence

    Outcome Time to outcome CER OR
    (95% CI)    		 NN?
    (% CI)
    death 30 days /
    (%)    		 0.89
    (0.71 to 1.11)

    Citation

    1. Candelise L, and Ciccone A: Gangliosides for acute ischaemic stroke. The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, Oxford:Update Software 1999; 2: -
    Contributor: Clare Wotton and Musab Hayatli, December 1999
    Reviewer:

    Clinical Question.
    Patient acute ischaemic stroke
    Intervention or Exposure gangliosides
    Comparison control
    Outcome death