Long-term outcomes of antioxidant therapy for chronic pancreatitis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Long-term outcomes in patients taking antioxidant therapy for chronic pancreatitis
IRAS ID
145239
Contact name
Lynne Webster
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Central Manchester University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Chronic pancreatitis is the medical term for chronic inflammation of the pancreas. This illness is associated with long-term abdominal pain. In the 1980s it was proposed that chronic pancreatitis was due to a deficiency of protective “antioxidants” in the pancreas and on this basis antioxidant therapy was introduced. This therapy was highly controversial until a large randomised trial of antioxidant therapy in chronic pancreatitis, undertaken in Manchester (Siriwardena AK et al. Gastroenterology 2012) showed that 6 months intervention with antioxidant therapy was not associated with any change in pain score or improvement in quality of life. Antioxidant therapy is no longer used in modern day pancreatic practice.
However, as with any study, the randomised trial raised some specific questions.First, does treatment for more than 6 months provide benefit? Second, are there disease sub-types of chronic pancreatitis where antioxidant therapy may benefit?
Given the lack of contemporary use of antioxidant therapy, this question cannot be answered in a prospective study. However, the case records of the Manchester Royal Infirmary contain information on antioxidant treatment in patients who received this therapy over a prolonged period.
Thus the aim of the present study is to review the case notes of patients given a discharge code from the Manchester Royal Infirmary of chronic pancreatitis during the period 1st January 1990 to 1st January 1998 in order to assess whether there is a record of improvement in outcome. Only the case notes will be reviewed and there is no plan to contact patients as many will be elderly and some will no longer be alive.
The study accepts the limitations of assessing pain from clinical notes but also notes that more objective findings such as development of diabetes mellitus (a long term complication of chronic pancreatitis) can be assessed from the notes.REC name
North East - York Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NE/1117
Date of REC Opinion
28 Aug 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion