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| Miscellaneous complications |
| Effect of low-dose oral glutamine on painful stomatitis during bone marrow transplantation |
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| P M Anderson1,4,a, N K C Ramsay1,4, X O Shu4, N Rydholm4, J Rogosheske3,4, R Nicklow4, D J Weisdorf2,4 and K M Skubitz2 |
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1Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
2Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
3Department of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
4Department of University of Minnesota Bone Marrow Transplantation Program, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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aCorrespondence: Dr P Anderson, Pediatrics-East 9, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA |
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| Abstract |
| Painful oral mucositis is a common complication after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Glutamine is a nutrient for rapidly dividing cells and the major energy source for intestinal epithelium. This study tested whether an oral glutamine preparation could decrease the severity of oral mucositis in patients undergoing BMT. Glutamine or a placebo (glycine) were administered from admission until day +28 in 193 BMT patients in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study at a dose of 1.0 g amino acid/m2/dose swish and swallow four times a day. In autologous BMT patients (n = 87) glutamine was associated with significantly less mouth pain by self report and by opiate use (5.0 ± 6.2 days of morphine for glutamine vs 10.3 ± 9.8 days for placebo; P = 0.005). Matched sibling BMT patients had no effect by self report and an increased duration of opiate use (23.2 ± 5.7 days for glutamine vs 16.3 ± 8.3 days for placebo) (P = 0.002). However, day 28 survival of allogeneic patients was improved by glutamine. No significant differences in TPN use, rate of relapse or progression of malignancy, parenteral antibiotic use, acute or chronic GVHD, or days of hospitalization were observed in either autologous or allogeneic recipients. No toxicity of glutamine was observed. We conclude that oral glutamine can decrease the severity and duration of oropharyngeal mucositis in autologous BMT patients but not in allogeneic BMT patients, possibly due to interaction with methotrexate. |
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| Keywords |
| mucositis; stomatitis; supportive care; nutrition; epithelium; chemotherapy |
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| Received 7 November 1997; accepted 16 March 1998 |
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| August 1998, Volume 22, Number 4, Pages 339-344 |
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