The prevention of theophylline on contrast-induced nephropathy—a meta analysis based on 19 RCTs

Objective To systematically evaluate the prophylactic effect of theophylline on the contrast-induced nephropathy(CIN). Methods Retrieve Chinese and English database in accordance with the requirements of system evaluation, comprehensively and comprehensively search for the relevant literature on theophylline drugs in the treatment of CIN. Meta analysis was carried out by using RevMan 5.0 software. Results Nineteen randomized controlled trials(RCTs) were included. In the group of theophylline vs. other preventive treatment, showed that theophylline can effectively reduce the incidence of CIN compared with other preventive treatment[RR=0.39, 95% CI:(0.22,0.68), P<0.001], but had no significant differences in serum creatinine value[RR=0.03, 95% CI:(-0.11,0.18), P=0.650] and had no significant differences in GFR value[RR=-3.24, 95% CI:(-29.60,23.11), P=0.810]. In the group of theophylline VS placebo, showed that theophylline can effectively decrease the incidence of CIN[RR=0.44, 95% CI:(0.29,0.67), P<0.001] and can effectively lower serum creatinine values[RR=-0.12, 95% CI:(-0.18,-0.07), P<0.001], can effectively increase GFR values[RR=11.82, 95% CI:(7.25,16.39), P<0.001]. Conclusion There are some prophylactic effects of theophylline on the CIN based on existing information, especially for the young patients without diabetes or high blood pressure. However, subgroup analysis resulted in less sample size in the subgroups, much more high-qualified RCTs with large samples and multicenter as well as strict design are needed to evaluate the treatment effect of theophylline on the CIN.