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THURSDAY, July 19, 2018 (HealthDay News) — For patients with sickle cell-related pain, those receiving oral therapy with L<\/small>-glutamine have a lower median number of pain crises, according to a study published in the July 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Yutaka Niihara, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of California at Los Angeles, and colleagues examined the efficacy of pharmaceutical-grade L<\/small>-glutamine administered twice daily by mouth versus placebo in reducing the incidence of pain crises among patients with sickle cell anemia or sickle \u03b20<\/sup>-thalassemia with a history of two or more pain crises in the previous year. Two hundred thirty patients (age 5 to 58 years) were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive L<\/small>-glutamine or placebo during a 48-week treatment period.<\/p>\n The researchers found that there were significantly fewer pain crises in the L<\/small>-glutamine group than in the placebo group, with a median of 3.0 and 4.0, respectively. There were significantly fewer hospitalizations in the L<\/small>-glutamine group than the placebo group, with a median of 2.0 and 3.0, respectively. In both trial groups, two-thirds of patients received concomitant hydroxyurea. The L<\/small>-glutamine group more often had low-grade nausea, non-cardiac chest pain, fatigue, and musculoskeletal pain.<\/p>\n “Our trial showed that the median number of pain crises over 48 weeks was lower among the patients who received L<\/small>-glutamine than among those who received placebo,” the authors write.<\/p>\n The study was funded by Emmaus Medical.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n