A global literature review of comorbidities and concomitant supportive medications among individuals with…

ReviewJournal of comparative effectiveness research· Aug 2026

A global literature review of comorbidities and concomitant supportive medications among individuals with Rett syndrome.

Nazia Rashid, Krithika Rajagopalan, Safiuddin Shoeb Syed … Ismaeel Yunusa

Child NeurologyReviewQ2IF 2.6

Neurological problems were the most frequently reported comorbidity in Rett syndrome studies.

A global literature review of comorbidities and concomitant supportive medications among individuals with Rett syndrome.

Nazia Rashid … Ismaeel Yunusa

Journal of comparative effectiveness research · Aug 2026

Purpose

To synthesize evidence on the multisystem clinical burden of Rett syndrome, integrating comorbidity prevalence and concomitant medication use to inform proactive care.

Methods

A structured search of PubMed, Embase and Cochrane (January 2000 to July 2024), plus gray literature, identified clinical trials, observational studies, registries, and case series (n >10).

n = 6253 records

Results

62.0%

neurological issues were the most commonly reported comorbidity

n = 6253 records

More results

Epilepsy prevalence ranged from 15.0% to 91.0%, scoliosis 8.9-100% and gastrointestinal dysfunction was common, including constipation (16.4-82.8%) and gastroesophageal reflux (15.8-100.0%).

Hand stereotypies were reported in 11.4% of studies, with prevalence of 70.0-100.0%.

More results

Among studies reporting developmental burden, inability to walk ranged from 19.0% to 100.0%.

Antiepileptic medications contributed most to treatment burden (14.3-33.0% for monotherapy).

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Conclusion · 1 of 2

Rett syndrome imposes a substantial, lifelong multisystem burden requiring continuous surveillance. Findings highlight the importance of anticipatory, multidisciplinary care rather than symptom-driven management.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

Patterns of medication use, particularly for epilepsy, reflect reliance on symptom-directed therapies and highlight the need for routine medication review, careful prescribing and longitudinal monitoring to optimize outcomes.

A global literature review of comorbidities and concomitant supportive medications among individuals with Rett syndrome.

A global literature review of comorbidities and concomitant supportive medications among individuals with Rett syndrome.

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