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In recent decades, the number of published meta-analyses of randomized trials of medical interventions has grown markedly. However, the extent of overlap of meta-analyses is unknown.
Investigators identified all meta-analyses published in 2010. From these, 73 (defined as index meta-analyses) were selected randomly. The most common subject areas were cardiology (19%), gastroenterology (12%), and neurology (11%); drugs or biological agents were the most common intervention evaluated. For each index meta-analysis, the investigators searched for overlapping meta-analyses published through February 2013. Overall, at least 1 overlapping meta-analysis (median, 2; maximum, 13) was discovered for 49 index meta-analyses. Among pairs of overlapping met…