Pregabalin Significantly Reduces Pain and Itch in Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa: JAMA

Pre-therapy screening of all patients and then random allocation to two groups of thirty in each. Group 1 was treated first with pregabalin followed by a placebo, and group 2 was given a placebo first followed by pregabalin. The dose limit of pregabalin was 300 mg/day. The effectiveness of treatment was assessed in terms of VAS scores for pain and itch before and after therapy.

• Ten patients were recruited in the study with a mean age of around 26.6 years in both the groups.

• Pregabalin decreased mean pain scores by 1.9 points whereas in case of placebo, it decreased by 0.1 points.

• In comparison to the baseline, the decrease in mean was 0.9 points; on the other hand, the placebo group showed minimal reduction of 0.1 points.

• Generally, the tolerance of pregabalin by participants was good. No major adverse effects were encountered.

Pregabalin operates by the modulation of calcium channels within the central nervous system to block the release of certain neurotransmitters that cause pain. With RDEB, the antineuropathic pain property of pregabalin has made this drug a possible candidate for the management of chronic discomfort associated with this disease.

This study demonstrated that pregabalin considerably reduced pain and itch. The results provide renewed optimism for patients with RDEB, based on preliminary evidence that pregabalin may serve as a treatment for the neuropathic symptoms inherent to the disease; further investigation is necessary to formally confirm these results and ascertain long-term benefits of pregabalin in this patient population.

Reference:

Calvo, M., Tejos-Bravo, M., Passi-Solar, A., Espinoza, F., Fuentes, I., Lara-Corrales, I., & Pope, E. (2024). Pregabalin for neuropathic pain and itch in recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa: A randomized crossover trial. JAMA Dermatology (Chicago, Ill.). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.2024.3767