Assessment of the effectiveness of drug therapies on nutritional status in the elderly: "concerning a randomised, double-blind clinical study of the activity of pancreatic extracts and a placebo during the renutrition of elderly subjects suffering from protein caloric undernutrition".
OBJECTIVE
to study, versus placebo, the value of administering pancreatic extracts in elderly subjects suffering from denutrition.


METHODS
52 subjects over 70 years of age, living in the Toulouse region of France, were included in this study. Each subject was required to present with an impaired nutritional status of their food intake, anthropometric and laboratory markers.


RESULTS
among the 52 patients included in the study, 26 received the placebo and 26 received a pancreatic extract (Créon 12,000). 88% of these patients were women and 12% were men, the mean age of patients was 87+/-6 years. The groups were comparable at entry into the study. Nutritional intake increased in the two groups. There was a non-significant increase in body weight in the treated group when compared with the placebo group.


CONCLUSIONS
we think that in the future, it would be preferable to conduct studies in convalescent subjects, reducing the frequency of nutritional assessments (food intake on D0 and D90, to reduce interference with the patient's habits.
Lauque
S
S
Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Gerontology, University Hospital, Toulouse, France.
Nourhashemi
F
F
Baudouin
M
M
Ghisolfi-Marque
A
A
Beziat
F
F
Moreau
J
J
Dyard
F
F
Vellas
B
B
Albarede
J L
JL
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000187:drug effects*; D020799:Pancrelipase / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000188:drug therapy*
D015415:Biomarkers; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D020799:Pancrelipase