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The influence of anxiety symptoms on clinical outcomes during baclofen treatment of alcohol use disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The influence of anxiety symptoms on clinical outcomes during baclofen treatment of alcohol use disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis
The influence of anxiety symptoms on clinical outcomes during baclofen treatment of alcohol use disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Given the high coexistence of anxiety symptoms in people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), we aimed to determine the influence of anxiety symptoms on outcomes in patients with AUD treated with the GABA B receptor agonist baclofen. A meta-analysis of 13 comparisons (published 2010–2020) including baseline and outcome data on alcohol consumption and anxiety after 12 weeks was undertaken. There were significantly higher rates of abstinent days in patients treated with baclofen compared to placebo (p = 0.004; high certainty evidence); specifically in those with higher baseline anxiety levels (p < 0.00001; high certainty evidence) compared to those with lower baseline anxiety levels (p = 0.20; moderate certainty evidence). The change in anxiety ratings over 12 weeks did not differ between those treated with baclofen or placebo (p = 0.84; moderate certainty evidence). This may be due to different anxiety constructs being measured by scales not validated in this patient group, or that anxiety is not a biobehavioral mechanism by which baclofen may reduce alcohol drinking. Given the prevalence of anxiety symptoms in AUD all these factors warrant further research.

Alcohol, Anxiety, Baclofen, Clinical trials, GABA, Measurement, Meta-analysis, Rating scales
0149-7634
296-313
Agabio, Roberta
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Baldwin, David
1beaa192-0ef1-4914-897a-3a49fc2ed15e
Amaro, Hugo
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Leggio, Lorenzo
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Sinclair, Julia
be3e54d5-c6da-4950-b0ba-3cb8cdcab13c
Agabio, Roberta
fad70532-c2fd-49ac-8d05-5a6a9b0fa7c0
Baldwin, David
1beaa192-0ef1-4914-897a-3a49fc2ed15e
Amaro, Hugo
1151d701-7c46-4481-92d8-3fbd14e67610
Leggio, Lorenzo
f4c540a5-75e0-47b0-bbbd-457aa9977f74
Sinclair, Julia
be3e54d5-c6da-4950-b0ba-3cb8cdcab13c

Agabio, Roberta, Baldwin, David, Amaro, Hugo, Leggio, Lorenzo and Sinclair, Julia (2021) The influence of anxiety symptoms on clinical outcomes during baclofen treatment of alcohol use disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 125, 296-313. (doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.12.030).

Record type: Review

Abstract

Given the high coexistence of anxiety symptoms in people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), we aimed to determine the influence of anxiety symptoms on outcomes in patients with AUD treated with the GABA B receptor agonist baclofen. A meta-analysis of 13 comparisons (published 2010–2020) including baseline and outcome data on alcohol consumption and anxiety after 12 weeks was undertaken. There were significantly higher rates of abstinent days in patients treated with baclofen compared to placebo (p = 0.004; high certainty evidence); specifically in those with higher baseline anxiety levels (p < 0.00001; high certainty evidence) compared to those with lower baseline anxiety levels (p = 0.20; moderate certainty evidence). The change in anxiety ratings over 12 weeks did not differ between those treated with baclofen or placebo (p = 0.84; moderate certainty evidence). This may be due to different anxiety constructs being measured by scales not validated in this patient group, or that anxiety is not a biobehavioral mechanism by which baclofen may reduce alcohol drinking. Given the prevalence of anxiety symptoms in AUD all these factors warrant further research.

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Balcofen metanalysis-accepted 27.12.20 - Accepted Manuscript
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 27 December 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 14 January 2021
Published date: 14 June 2021
Additional Information: Funding Information: L.L. is jointly funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (ZIA-AA000218). The content of this article does not necessarily represent the official views of the funders. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords: Alcohol, Anxiety, Baclofen, Clinical trials, GABA, Measurement, Meta-analysis, Rating scales

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 446276
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/446276
ISSN: 0149-7634
PURE UUID: 1f0d55da-6ae3-417f-b6a3-dc7ec9c711c7
ORCID for David Baldwin: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3343-0907
ORCID for Julia Sinclair: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1905-2025

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Date deposited: 03 Feb 2021 17:34
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 06:13

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Contributors

Author: Roberta Agabio
Author: David Baldwin ORCID iD
Author: Hugo Amaro
Author: Lorenzo Leggio
Author: Julia Sinclair ORCID iD

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