Premium
α‐Lipoic acid treatment of 31 patients with sore, burning mouth
Author(s) -
Steele JC,
Bruce AJ,
Drage LA,
Rogers RS
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
oral diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.953
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1601-0825
pISSN - 1354-523X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1601-0825.2007.01414.x
Subject(s) - medicine , sore throat , medical record , medical prescription , ambulatory , prospective cohort study , pediatrics , surgery , pharmacology
Objective: To review a series of patients with sore, burning mouth treated with α‐lipoic acid between 2000 and May 2006 and subjectively evaluate improvement in symptoms. Design: Retrospective review of medical records of 195 consecutive patients who sought treatment for sore, burning mouth. Treatment of 47 patients was a prescription/recommendation for α‐lipoic acid. Of these patients, 35 were available for follow‐up. Setting: Tertiary care academic medical center. Subjects: Ambulatory patients given prescription /recommendation for α‐lipoic acid 600 mg per day, in divided doses. Main Outcome Measure: Reported improvement in symptoms documented in medical records and at follow‐up (visits or telephone interviews). Results: Thirty‐one of the 35 patients (66% of all 47) actually took α‐lipoic acid as recommended. No patient reported a complete alleviation of symptoms. Six (19%) of these 31 patients felt mostly better, five (16%) felt somewhat better, and 14 (45%) reported no difference. Two patients (7%) reported a worsening of symptoms and four (13%) did not know whether there had been improvement. Conclusion: Eleven of 31 patients (35%) reported benefit from taking α‐lipoic acid. Because we examined only a small number of patients and relied on a subjective outcome assessment, further larger studies using a prospective, randomized, controlled, and double‐blind structure are warranted.