Questioning the Role of a Neutropenic Diet following Hematopoetic Stem Cell Transplantation

• Published in: Biology of blood and marrow transplantation 2012-09, Vol.18 (9), p.1385-1390
• Main Authors: Trifilio, Steven, Helenowski, Irene, Giel, Meghan, Gobel, Barbara, Pi, Judy, Greenberg, Deborah, Mehta, Jayesh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Antibiotics; Bacterial Infections - diet therapy; Bacterial Infections - drug therapy; Bacterial Infections - microbiology; Case-Control Studies; Databases, Factual; Diet; Female; Gastrointestinal Tract - drug effects; Gastrointestinal Tract - microbiology; Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; Humans; Infection; Leukemia - diet therapy; Leukemia - microbiology; Leukemia - therapy; Lymphoma - diet therapy; Lymphoma - microbiology; Lymphoma - therapy; Male; Middle Aged; Multiple Myeloma - diet therapy; Multiple Myeloma - microbiology; Multiple Myeloma - therapy; Neutropenia - diet therapy; Neutropenia - microbiology; Neutropenia - therapy; Nutrition; Retrospective Studies; Transplantation, Homologous
• ISSN: 1083-8791; 1523-6536
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2012.02.015

The use of a neutropenic diet (ND) after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was instituted more than 30 years ago as a means of preventing infection from organisms colonizing the gastrointestinal tract. Evidence supporting this practice is lacking, however, and the actual efficacy of the ND remains unknown. Institutional policy at Northwestern Memorial Hospital discontinued the use of ND in 2006. We conducted a retrospective study of 726 consecutive HSCT recipients, 363 who received an ND and 363 who received a general hospital diet, to determine the incidence of microbiologically confirmed infections during and after transplantation. Our findings indicate a higher rate of infections in the HSCT recipients who received an ND.