Background. Abdominal pain is the most challenging symptom of hereditary pa
ncreatitis. No specific and proven therapy is yet available; analgesics, of
ten in large doses, are required also in children and young patients.
Patients and Methods. We performed an open-label, pilot study on three youn
g patients, coming from the same kindred, with hereditary pancreatitis. The
study period lasted two years (July 1997-July 1999) and was divided into f
our sub-periods of six months each. In the first and third period the patie
nts took only oral analgesics, if necessary; in the second and fourth perio
d, an antioxidant regimen per os was added. This treatment consisted of sul
phadenosyl-methionine (800 mg per day), Vitamin C (180 mg per day), Vitamin
E (30 mg per day), Vitamin A (2400 mug per day), and selenium (75 mug per
day).
Results. Compliance of patients to the treatment schedule was satisfactory
and no important side-effects were observed. Antioxidant treatment led to a
significant reduction (p<0.05) in the number of days with abdominal pain e
xperienced by the three patients and this was verified for both periods of
treatment. Albeit, consumption of analgesics was lower in the antioxidant t
reatment periods.
Conclusions. Oxidative stress may be one of the principle contributors to p
ain in hereditary pancreatitis and orally administered antioxidant treatmen
t appears to be effective for control of the condition, in young patients,
suffering from this rare disease.