WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

*Lorenna Sena Teixeira Mendes, MD, PhD, Victor Siciliano Soares, MD and André de Mattos Salles, MD, MSc

ABSTRACT

Aim: To assess methylphenidate's efficacy and safety in dyslexia treatment. Methods: We conducted a literaturesearch across MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Epistemonikos databases without restrictions on publicationdate, language, or publication status. The bias risk in RCTs was assessed via Cochrane instrument RoB 2.0.Evidence synthesis followed systematic review guidelines. Results: Three RCTs, totaling 91 children aged 6 to 13years with reading scores 2 years below their chronological age, were included. Most studies had small samplesizes and tested different medications than methylphenidate (MTF) and placebo (PLB). Only one trial, Gittelman-Klein & Klein (1976), had a low risk of bias. Fagan et al. (1988) reported improved reading fluency (p=0.024)with methylphenidate. Gittelman-Klein & Klein (1976) noted a non-significant reading improvement trend after 4and 12 weeks. Aman & Werry (1982) found no significant difference between methylphenidate, diazepam, andplacebo. Overall, methylphenidate did not differ significantly from placebo in improving reading. Conclusion:Methylphenidate didn't significantly improve reading in dyslexia patients compared to placebo. Limited RCTs anda high risk of bias in most studies restrict the certainty level of this evidence. Further research is needed toestablish efficacy and safety conclusively.

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