Meta-analysis of methylcobalamin alone and in combination with prostaglandin E1 in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy

This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of prostaglandin E1 plus methylcobalamin (PGE1–MC) with that of methylcobalamin alone (MC) on diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). We searched published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of PGE1 combined with MC for DPN up to June 1, 2013. Data were extracted to evaluate methodological quality and describe characteristics of studies in duplicate. A random or a fixed effect model was used to analyze outcomes which were expressed as relative risk (RR) or mean difference with a 95 % confidence interval (CI). All data were analyzed using Review Manager 5.2 software. Twenty-six RCTs involving 2,107 individuals were included. Meta-analysis showed that PGE1–MC combination therapy was significantly better than MC monotherapy (RR = 1.40; 95 % CI 1.33–1.48) on efficacy. The weighted mean differences in nerve conduction velocities (NCVs) were 6.72 (95 % CI: 5.42–8.02) for median motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV), 5.13 (CI 4.13–6.13) for median sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV), 5.74 (CI 4.87–6.61) for peroneal MNCV and 4.62 (CI 3.89–5.34) for peroneal SNCV in favor of the PGE1 + MC combination group. Moreover, there were no serious adverse events in both groups during the treatment period. The results of the meta-analysis show that treatment with PGE1–MC is safe and can gain better outcomes in neuropathic symptoms and NCVs compared with MC alone. However, the conclusion may not be strong because most of the studies included in this meta-analysis have poor methodological quality.