Use of antioxidants to treat pain in chronic pancreatitis.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this report is to analyze the results of a 1-year clinical study of antioxidant therapy in the treatment of pain and recurrent inflammatory episodes in patients with chronic and acute recurrent pancreatitis, using a prospective, descriptive, pre-post, open design. The intensity of pain at the beginning and end of treatment was assessed with a visual analogue scale, and these results along with the number of hospital admissions for pancreatic disease were analyzed.


METHODS
We studied patients with acute recurrent or chronic pancreatitis who had suffered from pain or acute inflammatory episodes the year before the beginning of treatment with a complex containing L-methionine, beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E and organic selenium.


RESULTS
Of 10 patients with chronic pancreatitis who completed treatment, the intensity of pain was reduced considerably in 9 (61.5 +/- 21.5 mm vs. 19.6 +/- 26.1 mm, p = 0.03), and pain was completely absent in 3 of these patients. Twelve patients who completed treatment had fewer hospital admissions during the year with antioxidant treatment than they had had during the previous year (1.5 +/- 1.62 vs. 0.25 +/- 0.45 admissions, p = 0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
Antioxidant treatment had a positive effect in patients who suffered from pancreatic inflammatory pain, and its effectiveness should be tested before more aggressive and costlier treatments are considered.
De las Heras Castaño
G
G
Gastroenterology Service, Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, School of Medicine, Santander, Spain. dighcg@humv.es
García de la Paz
A
A
Fernández
M D
MD
Fernández Forcelledo
J L
JL
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000150:complications*; D011446:Prospective Studies
D000975:Antioxidants