title: Home parenteral nutrition in patients with systemic sclerosis: a retrospective review of 12 cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of home total parenteral nutrition (HTPN) on the nutritional and functional status of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of SSc patients from the HTPN database at the University Health Network, Toronto, Canada, from 1998 to 2010.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total 12 subjects (9 females, 3 males) with SSc were identified. At initiation of HTPN, the age was 48.75 ± 3.94 years and the median body mass index was 16.8 kg/m(2) (range 12.3-21.3). This significantly increased to 18.3 kg/m(2) (17.0-21.7) at 6 months and to 19.7 kg/m(2) (17.0-24.6) at 12 months. The mean Karnofsky score at baseline was 58.00 ± 3.27, and the score at 12 months of 39.00 ± 13.29 did not change significantly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HTPN improved the nutritional status of these patients with SSc but it did not improve their functional status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Hani
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jawa
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Saqui
authors.forename: Johanne P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Allard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001765:Blind Loop Syndrome / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007418:Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D016331:Parenteral Nutrition, Home / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult