Table 5.
Summary of the findings, including GRADE quality assessment for comparison between EPO and vitamin E.
| EPO Compared to Vitamin E for Mastalgia Treatment | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient or Population: Women with Mastalgia Setting: Outpatient Clinic Intervention: Evening Primrose Oil Comparison: Vitamin E | ||||||
| Outcomes | Anticipated Absolute Effects * (95% CI) | Relative Effect (95% CI) |
No Of Participants (Studies) |
Certainty of the Evidence (Grade) |
Comments | |
| Risk with Vitamin E | Risk with EPO | |||||
| The severity of pain | The mean severity of pain was 0 | MD 0.47 lower (1.07 lower to 0.14 higher) |
- | 305 (3 RCTs) |
⊕⊕⊕⊝ MODERATE |
Risk of bias: not serious |
| Inconsistency: not serious | ||||||
| Indirectness: not serious | ||||||
| Imprecision: serious | ||||||
| The number of patients responded to treatment | Study population | RR 2.30 (1.19 to 4.43) |
61 (1 RCT) |
⊕⊕⊝⊝ LOW |
Risk of bias: not serious | |
| 267 per 1000 | 613 per 1000 (317 to 1000) |
Inconsistency: not serious | ||||
| Indirectness: not serious | ||||||
| Imprecision: not serious | ||||||
| The occurrence of adverse events | Study population | RR 3.21 (0.14 to 75.61) |
58 (1 RCT) |
⊕⊕⊝⊝ LOW |
Risk of bias: not serious | |
| 0 per 1000 | 0 per 1000 (0 to 0) |
Inconsistency: not serious | ||||
| Indirectness: not serious | ||||||
| Imprecision: not serious | ||||||
* The risk in the intervention group (and its 95% confidence interval) was based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI). CI: Confidence interval, RR: Risk ratio. GRADE Working Group grades of evidence. High certainty: We are very confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimate of the effect. Moderate certainty: We are moderately confident in the effect estimate: The true effect is likely to be close to the estimate of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different. Low certainty: Our confidence in the effect estimate is limited: The true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect. Very low certainty: We have very little confidence in the effect estimate: The true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect.