Effectiveness of an 'half elemental diet' as maintenance therapy for Crohn's disease: A randomized-controlled trial.
Takagi S,
Utsunomiya K,
Kuriyama S,
Yokoyama H,
Takahashi S,
Iwabuchi M,
Takahashi H,
Takahashi S,
Kinouchi Y,
Hiwatashi N,
Funayama Y,
Sasaki I,
Tsuji I,
Shimosegawa T.
Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan. stakagi@int3.med.tohoku.ac.jp
BACKGROUND: Although thiopurines have a proven role in maintenance therapy for Crohn's disease, an alternative therapy is needed for patients intolerant or resistant to thiopurines. AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of home enteral nutrition as a maintenance therapy regimen in which half of the daily calorie requirement is provided by an elemental diet and the remaining half by a free diet. We refer to this home enteral nutrition therapy as 'half elemental diet'. METHODS: Between 2002 and 2005, 51 patients in remission from two hospitals were randomly assigned to a half elemental diet group (n = 26) or a free diet group (n = 25). The primary outcome measure of this study was the occurrence of relapse over the 2-year period. RESULTS: The relapse rate in the half elemental diet group was significantly lower [34.6% vs. 64.0%; multivariate hazard ratio 0.40 (95% CI: 0.16-0.98)] than that in the free diet group after a mean follow-up of 11.9 months. Compliance was similar in the two groups. No adverse event occurred in any of the patients throughout the study. CONCLUSION: This randomized-controlled trial shows the effectiveness of an half elemental diet, which is a promising maintenance therapy for Crohn's disease patients.
PMID: 17059514 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]