Efficacy and Predictors of Pain Response to Combined Antioxidants in Children with Chronic Pancreatitis

• Published in: Digestive diseases and sciences 2023-04, Vol.68 (4), p.1500-1510
• Main Authors: Gopan, Amrit, Srivastava, Anshu, Mathias, Amrita, Yachha, Surender Kumar, Jain, Sunil Kumar, Mishra, Prabhakar, Sarma, Moinak Sen, Poddar, Ujjal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - metabolism; Antioxidants - therapeutic use; Ascorbic Acid; Biochemistry; Child; Gastroenterology; Hepatology; Humans; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Oncology; Original Article; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - physiology; Pain; Pain - drug therapy; Pancreatitis; Pancreatitis, Chronic - complications; Pancreatitis, Chronic - drug therapy; Selenium; Selenium - therapeutic use; Superoxide Dismutase; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; Transplant Surgery; Vitamin C; Vitamins - therapeutic use
• ISSN: 0163-2116; 1573-2568
• DOI: 10.1007/s10620-022-07676-5

Background Pain is a major problem in 90% of patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP). Studies evaluating response to antioxidants (AO) are conflicting and no pediatric studies are available. Aims To evaluate markers of oxidative stress (OS), and efficacy and predictors of response to AO in improving pain in children with CP. Methods Antioxidants were given to CP children for 6 months. Subjects were assessed at baseline and post-therapy for pain and markers of OS [serum thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), superoxide dismutase (S-SOD)] and antioxidant levels [vitamin C, selenium, total antioxidant capacity-ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP)]. Matched healthy controls were assessed for OS and antioxidant levels. Good response was defined as ≥ 50% reduction in number of painful days/month. Results 48 CP children (25 boys, age 13 years) and 14 controls were enrolled. 38/48 cases completed 6 months of therapy. CP cases had higher OS [TBARS (7.8 vs 5.2 nmol/mL; p