To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: ISICEM: Use of Anabolic Steroid Therapy in Critically Ill ICU Patients URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/22E75E.htm Doctor's Guide March 19, 2003
By Thomas Buckingham, MD BRUSSELS, BELGIUM -- March 19, 2003 -- Anabolic steroids show promising effects in improving nutritional status in acutely ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Dr. Jill Pikul and Dr. Michael Sharpe presented data here March 18th at the 23rd International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine. Dr. Pikul is from the Department of Clinical Nutritional Services and Dr. Sharpe is from the Department of Anesthesia, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, where this study was performed Acute severe illness is associated with loss of body mass, poor wound healing and decreased immune function. Aggressive nutritional therapy can improve this status, but patients still remain in negative nutritional and nitrogen balance, according to the researchers. Dr. Pikul and Dr. Sharpe studied 10 patients with severe malnutrition, who were in the ICU for more than 14 days and were tolerating enteral feeding. Patients received intramuscular nandrolone therapy weekly for 3 weeks. There was no control group in this study. Results show that eight of 10 patients attained a positive nitrogen balance and improvement in protein levels. The approach "appears to show some promise," according to Dr. Pikul, but randomised, controlled studies will be necessary to examine this issue further, she added. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.